The origins of the term.

The English term for Pavement artist is SCREEVER. The term is over 200 years old and derived from the term SCRIVENER; meaning ‘to write’ or ‘a person who could read and write’ and originates from the Anglo-French escrivein, ultimately from Vulgate Latin *scriban-, scriba, alteration of Latin scriba (as scribe).

The term is derived from the writing, often Copperplate, that typically accompanied the works of pavement artists since the 1700’s. Screevers where not simply artists creating ‘pretty pictures,’ often the works would be accompanied by poems & proverbs; lessons on morality and political commentary on the day’s events. They were described as “producing a topical, pictorial newspaper of current event.” And that’s exactly what they did. They appealed to both the working man and woman, who (on the whole) could not read or write, but understood the visual images; and the educated…