George Cumberland's Message Card

George Cumberland's Message Card by William Blake, created in 1827, is a late and intimate example of the artist's work in the print medium. This specific engraving represents a unique professional engagement between Blake and his long-time friend and patron, George Cumberland, who commissioned the piece.

Cumberland, himself an artist and writer, had conceived of a novel system for a personalized, highly decorative "message card" or engraved calling card. He believed these standardized cards could revolutionize social correspondence and artistic self-promotion in the early nineteenth century. Blake executed the design for his friend, creating a highly detailed, compact example of late Romantic-era printmaking. The choice of engraving as the medium highlights the precision required for such small, almost functional art objects, distinguishing it from Blake's larger illuminated prints.

Although the overall design is small, the surviving impression showcases Blake’s mastery of the burin and his consistent style of dense, visionary line work, even in these minor commissions near the end of his life. As one of Blake’s final prints, the George Cumberland's Message Card provides vital insight into the practical side of the artist’s output just months before his death. This rare work is held within the distinguished collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its historical significance ensures that high-quality prints and documentation are frequently made available in the public domain for scholarly research and artistic appreciation.