C. T.

This artist signed their prints with two big initials and a date, like a time-stamp on a postcard. They sketched everyday scenes—parades, parks, people waiting—then carved the drawings into wood blocks and printed them on cheap paper so regular folks could afford art. If you’ve walked past a newsy crowd or a country fair and wished you could freeze the moment, find H Beard Print Collection from July 5, 1879; it’s the whole city rubbing shoulders in ink.