Art and engraving on United States banknotes
Updated: 5/24/2026, 6:54:22 PM Wikipedia source
In early 18th century Colonial America, engravers began experimenting with copper plates as an alternative medium to wood. Applied to the production of paper currency, copper-plate engraving allowed for greater detail and production during printing. It was the transition to steel engraving that enabled banknote design and printing to rapidly advance in the United States during the 19th century.
Tables
Art and engraving on National Bank Notes (First Charter Period) · National Bank Notes › Denomination set of first issue/design National Bank Notes
| Banknote | Value/series | Vignette | Vignette information |
| | $1 Original Series The First National Bank Lebanon, Indiana Pres John C. Daily Cash Abram O. Miller | | Concordia (eng) Charles Burt (Art) Theodore August Liebler |
| | Landing of the Pilgrims (eng) Charles Burt (art) Edwin White | ||
| | $2 Series 1875 The First National Bank Emporia, Kansas Pres Harrison Cory Cross Cash Elliott Raper Holderman | | Stars and Stripes (eng) Luigi (Louis) Delnoce |
| | $5 Series 1875 The Vineland National Bank Vineland, New Jersey Pres Horatio N. Greene Cash Willis T. Virgil | | Landing of Columbus (eng) Unsure (art) John Vanderlyn |
| | $10 Series 1875 The First National Bank Bismarck, North Dakota VP Henry Rinaldo Porter Cash O . Whitaker | | Franklin and Electricity (eng) Alfred Jones |
| | DeSoto Discovering the Mississippi (eng) Frederick Girsch (art) John Trumbull | ||
| | $20 Series 1875 The First National Bank Butte, Montana Pres Andrew Jackson Davis Cash Emerson B. Weirick | | Battle of Lexington (eng) Luigi (Louis) Delnoce (Art) F. O. C. Darley |
| | Loyalty (eng) Alfred Jones | ||
| | Baptism of Pocahontas (eng) Charles Burt (art) John G. Chapman | ||
| | $50 Series 1875 The First National Bank Cleveland, Ohio Pres James Barnett Cash Albert K. Spencer | | Embarkation of the Pilgrims (eng) W . Rice (art) Robert W. Weir |
| | $100 Original Series The Raleigh National Bank Raleigh, North Carolina Pres William Horn Battle Cash Charles Francis Dewey | | Declaration of Independence (eng) Frederick Girsch (art) John Trumbull |
| | $500 Original Series The Appleton National Bank Lowell, Massachusetts Pres John A. Knowles Cash John F. Kimball | | Civilization (eng) James David Smillie |
| | Surrender of General Burgoyne (eng) Frederick Girsch (art) John Trumbull | ||
| | $1,000 Series 1875 (proof) The First National Bank Salem, Massachusetts | | Scott Entering City of Mexico (eng) Alfred Jones |
| | General George Washington Resigning His Commission (eng) Delnoce & Girsch (art) John Trumbull |
Art and engraving on Interest Bearing Notes · Interest Bearing Notes
| Banknote | Value/series | Vignette | Vignette information |
| | $10 One-year 5% (1864) | | Peace |
| | $50 Two-year 5% (1864) | | Caduceus (eng) Alfred Jones (art) John W. Casilear |
| | $100 Two-year 5% (1864) | | Farmer and Mechanic |
| | In the Turret | ||
| | $1,000 One-year 5% (1863) | | Justice |
| | $1,000 Two-year 5% (1863) | | Guerriere and Constitution |
| | $5,000 One-year 5% (1863) | | The Altar of Liberty (eng) Luigi (Louis) Delnoce |
Art and engraving on Other Notes · Other
| Banknote | Value/series | Vignette | Vignette information |
| | $10 Legal Tender (1880) | | Introduction of the Old World to the New |
| | $5 Legal Tender (1880) | | The Pioneer also known as The Woodcutter or Wood-Chopper (eng) Gugler |
| | $500 Gold certificate (1882) | | Eagle |
Portraits · Portraits
| Banknote | Value/series | Portrait | Vignette information |
| | $1 Legal Tender (1880) | | George Washington |
| | $2 Legal Tender (1880) | | Thomas Jefferson (Eng) Charles Burt |
| | $5,000 Gold certificate (1870) | | James Madison (Eng) Alfred Sealey |
| | $100 Silver certificate (1891) | | James Monroe (Eng) Luigi (Louis) Delnoce |
| | $500 Legal Tender (1869) | | John Quincy Adams (Eng) Charles Burt |
| | $10,000 Gold certificate (1875) | | Andrew Jackson (Eng) Alfred Sealey |
| | $500 Gold certificate (1870) | | Abraham Lincoln |
| | $5,000 4% Consol Bond (1877) | | Andrew Johnson |
| | $20,000 U . Funded Loan Bond (1891) | | Zachary Taylor |
| | $20 Legal Tender (1869) | | Alexander Hamilton (Eng) Charles Burt |
| | $0 Fractional currency | | Samuel Dexter |
| | $0 Fractional currency | | William Crawford (Eng) Charles Burt |
| | $0 Fractional currency | | Robert Walker (Eng) Charles Burt |
| | $0 Fractional currency | | William Meredith (Eng) Charles Burt |
| | $20,000 4% Consol Bond (1877) | | Salmon P. Chase |
| | $20 Silver certificate (1886) | | Daniel Manning (Eng) Lorenzo Hatch |
| | $2 Silver certificate (1891) | | William Windom (Eng) William Phillips |
References
- Spencer M. Clark, the first Superintendent of the National Currency Bureau (later the Bureau of Engraving and Printing),
- This is a standard description for one note quoted verbatim For the obverse of the twenty-dollar ($20) notes, there sha
- Anti-counterfeiting devices of the period (1869–76) included embedding silk fibers as well as (seen in the $2 and $5 exa
- Each National Bank Note, in addition to the engraved Treasury signatures, has the signature of the bank President (or Vi
- eng. is the engraver of the work; art. is the creator of an original work from which the engraving was derived.
- It is possible that Burt was inspired by (eng) Joseph Andrews, who in turn may have been emulating a painting by Peter F
- In addition to Stars and Stripes, the reverse of the $2 NBN has the vignette Sir Walter Raleigh Presenting Corn and Toba
- Vignettes on the obverse of the $5 NBN depict Columbus in Sight of Land and Presentation of an Indian Princess to the Ol
- At least three different issued engravings were prepared by James Bannister, Louis Delnoce, and Walter Shirlaw.
- The front right vignette on the $10 NBN is Liberty and Progress (designed by Walter Shirlaw, engraved by G . Smillie).
- Vignettes on the obverse of the $50 NBN depict Washington Crossing the Delaware (engraved by Alfred Jones) and Prayer fo
- Vignettes on the obverse of the $100 NBN depict Battle of Lake Erie (engraved by Luigi (Louis) Delnoce) and an allegory
- The $500 NBN right side vignette depicts Arrival of the Sirius.
- The $1,000 NBN right side vignette depicts The Capitol (engraved by James Smillie).
- The price quoted by the Continental Bank Note Company (in 1863) to design and engrave both Constitution and Guerriere an
- In the Portraits section, the size of the images are not in correct proportion to one another.
- Newman, 2008, p. 9.
- Newman, 2008, p. 184.
- Toppan, Robert N. (1896). A Hundred Year of Bank Note Engraving (Report). American Bank Note Company. p. 5.
- Newman, 2008, p. 186.