Sir Thomas Gresham the Elder was an English merchant and financier who acted on behalf of King Edward VI (1547–1553) and Edward's half-sisters, queens Mary I (1553–1558) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603). In 1565 Gresham founded the Royal Exchange in the City of London.
Portrait of Thomas Gresham, aged approximately 41. From the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
18th century engraving of Sir Thomas Gresham
Gresham's bust at Stowe School
Gresham's initials "TG" and date 1563 with his golden grasshopper emblem, serving as the sign of a bank in Lombard Street, the historic centre of banking in the City of London
A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as industry, commerce, and trade have existed. In 16th-century Europe, two different terms for merchants emerged: meerseniers referred to local traders and koopman referred to merchants who operated on a global stage, importing and exporting goods over vast distances and offering added-value services such as credit and finance.
Merchants from Holland and the Middle East trading.
A scale or balance is often used to symbolise a merchant
Costumes of merchants from Brabant and Antwerp, engraving by Abraham de Bruyn, 1577
Phoenician merchants traded across the entire Mediterranean region
