How to Obtain a Patent

This advertisement for Copp & Co., a Washington, D.C. patent law firm, demonstrates the commercial uses of chromolithography in the 1890s. Six portrait medallions surround the U.S. Patent Office building, likely depicting the firm's principals or notable clients. The composition—ornamental flourishes, architectural centerpiece, and arranged figures—reflects Victorian design conventions. Created by Canadian artist James Henry Moser as a design for half-tone engraving, it typifies how American businesses used illustrated promotional materials before mass-market magazines standardized advertising formats. The piece shows the intersection of fine art and commercial enterprise that characterized turn-of-the-century print culture.