A Trompe l'oeil of Newspapers, Letters and Writing Implements on a Wooden Board
Image Source: www.artuk.org

A Trompe l'oeil of Newspapers, Letters and Writing Implements on a Wooden Board by Edwaert Collier (c.1640–c.1707). Tate Gallery, London.
The painting, dating from about 1699, depicts printed newspapers, and writing examples and writing instruments. By this date the majority of news sheets were printed rather than distributed by manuscript copying.

Detail map of London, England, United Kingdom Overview map of London, England, United Kingdom

A: London, England, United Kingdom

News Services in England Persist in Distributing News by Manuscript

Circa 1700
Manuscript newsletter sent to the Hobson/Dewey family, 10 March 1708.
Image Source: www.jstor.org
"Manuscript newsletter sent to the Hobson/Dewey family, 10 March 1708. Huntington Lib. HM 30659f.104. The letter features a typical half-folio layout with banner heading indicating the place and date of sending. Each paragraph of news ocrresponds to a particular piece of incoming correspondence. In the upper right-hand corner the recipient has endorsed the letter with a digest of its contents." From Rachel Scarborough King, "All the News that's Fit to Write: The Eighteenth-Century Manuscript Newsletter," Travelling Chronicles: News and Newspapers from the Early Modern Period to the Eighteenth Century, Ch. 4, pp. 95-118) Fig. 4.1, p. 98.

As late as 1700, and beyond, some news services in England continued to distribute hand-written news manuscripts, rather than printed news sheets, to small numbers of subscribers.

Timeline Themes

Manuscripts & Manuscript Copying
News Media / Journalism