This limited edition etching was produced as a result of the public art event and exhibition The Cries of San Francisco at Southern Exposure from May 20 to July 2, 2011.

The Cries of San Francisco was a project by Allison Smith in collaboration with Southern Exposure that invoked the historic tradition of street peddlers hawking their wares with melodic songs and calls. The project took the form of a public art event centered around Mint Plaza, a sculptural installation and a series of events at Southern Exposure, and a forthcoming publication chronicling the project.

Hand-painted engravings of street peddlers first appeared in Paris in 1500. In the tradition of these depictions of working class European city dwellers, Allison Smith has created individual portraits of the contemporary street sellers that participated in The Cries of San Francisco. Emulating the style of a Renaissance-era broadsheet panel of etchings, each etching includes hand-colored portraits of street hawkers involved in the project.

With Special Thanks to Paulson Bott Press, Haines Gallery, and Smith Andersen North.