You know I love Spencerian calligraphy--all those birds and flourishes and beautiful lettering--but what makes this especially special, and rarer, is that it appears to have been a salesman sample / calligrapher's display piece, showing examples of the sorts of calling cards that could be ordered by clients. The banners of the upper left card together read "Cards / Written / To Order," and the seven others show an array of options for the sorts of cards that might be ordered. All mounted in a grid to gold paper in what I believe is the original frame in which they were displayed.
Framed: 12 3/4" x 10 7/8". Some fading to the ink due to age but all remain very readable. Late 19th c.
