Robert William Hume
Robert William Hume was a graphic artist and designer active during the early decades of the 19th century, with his documented period of output spanning 1800 to 1830. Operating in an era defined by rapid growth in print culture and commercial typography, Hume specialized in intricate designs required for publishing, finance, and trade.
Fifteen of Robert William Hume’s drawings and designs are held in museum collections, establishing his work as a critical component of early American graphic arts. The Metropolitan Museum of Art preserves these examples, which demonstrate a focus on precise ornamental and functional illustration.
His documented work includes designs intended for commercial use, such as studies for a Design for Banknote or Certificate, and decorative elements exemplified by two separate Cartouche designs. These pieces confirm his practical involvement in the burgeoning financial and institutional design needs of the period. A specific documented work represented in the collection is the Design for a trade publication titled: "Historical Copies Chronographically Arranged", created for the New York firm J. W. Schermerhorn & Co.
Today, Robert William Hume prints and design studies offer valuable primary source material for researchers studying 19th-century commercial aesthetics. Due to the age of the works, many of these museum-quality designs are now in the public domain, ensuring that high-quality prints are widely available for scholarly analysis.
