©London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames
 
 

Richmond Rose, c. 1850

C. Adler's Printing Establishment Hamburg

This souvenir for tourists to Richmond is a spectacular piece of printing and paper-cutting on a miniature scale. It contains scenes of Hampton Court, Richmond and Kew, consisting of twelve tiny steel-engraved views on one side of the sheet and sixteen on the other. The two sides of the rose are also very delicately printed from an intaglio plate in red and green inks.

The sheet folds three times until only the two coloured segments are visible, transforming the souvenir into what appears to be a paper rose. The printing is miraculous, but so is the survival of such an ephemeral object in perfect condition.