In 1986, the Baker Library at the Harvard Business School issued a rather elaborate exhibition catalog that presented a collection of materials from the Bleichroeder Collection of prints. These prints ranged in date from the sixteenth to nineteenth century, and included images of stock exchanges, money lenders, corruption, and other such related topics. This exhibit is essentially an updated and greatly enhanced version of this original exhibit, and it is a true delight. Visitors have access here to a great selection of images divided into such contentious and intriguing categories as “Politics and War”, “Speculation and Credit”, and “Vanity and Virtue: Allegories on the Pursuit of Riches”. There are a few images that should not be missed, including “The Unhappy Lot of the Rich” by Phillip Gale and “The Ill-Sorted Couple” by that old master, Albrecht Durer. The site is rounded out by a nice bibliography for those with a further penchant for works including “Religious Factors in Early Dutch Capitalism, 1550-1650”.
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