Griffiths 1998

Griffiths, Antony. The Print in Stuart Britain 1603-1689. London: British Museum Press, 1998.

when James I became king in 1603, "the regular publication of single-sheet engravings in England had scarcely existed for more than a decade, and was confined almost entirely to portraits of the powerful and to maps" (13); within 20 years, there was a "lively and growing market for prints"

under Charles I, "the visual arts became a fashionable part of life at court, and the first great collections of old master paintings were formed in Britain" (13)

1545, first copper plates used in England to illustrate Vesalius's Anatomy

1590s, English printmaking; specialist publisher John Sudbury, George Humble; "near monopoly on print production in London, specialising in maps and portraits" (14)

• prior to Sudbury and Humble, engravers sold prints or plates directly to their clients (14)

"It was a rare, and usually Continental, engraver who was able to work directly for a patron. Most had to work through a publisher, as only a publisher was able to market their prints. ... Plates would have been commissioned, and on delivery would have become the property of the publisher against payment of the agreed price." (17)

plates modified over time, portraits updates as people aged

"Subjects that were certain to be ephemeral interest were in general avoided, while the threat of instant piracy meant that it was hardly worth trying to be original." -- "subjects of perennial interest" like four ages of man, etc. (17)

no one who was not a member of Stationers' Company could own a letterpress printer; anyone could own a rolling press, though