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The art of slavery on banknotes

There's a very interesting exhibit that just opened at SUNY Plattsburgh. A South Carolina artist has been re-envisioning banknote engravings of slavery as paintings. It's eye-opening to see some of these images in color and definitely changes your perception.

The Color of Money

image
image
Intrigued by all things intaglio.

Comments

  • TookybanditTookybandit Posts: 3,410 ✭✭✭✭
    Interesting!
  • Very interesting.
    Come and see a forgotten piece of history.....

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  • HeywoodHeywood Posts: 1,246 ✭✭✭
    image

    image



    (The Note is altered from Bank of Greensborough, Ga)


    A witty saying proves nothing- Voltaire (1694 - 1778)



    An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor

    does the truth become error because nobody will see it. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
  • Hmmmm, never used a basket and never did much smiling and at least I had some gloves.
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  • johnny9434johnny9434 Posts: 27,411 ✭✭✭✭✭
    very interesting.
  • STLNATSSTLNATS Posts: 1,597 ✭✭✭
    (The Note is altered from Bank of Greensborough, Ga)



    Took me a minute to see your notation. Wasn't aware of cotton fields in the wilds of Connecticut so at first thought this was an odd vignette to be used in the northeast. image



    Both of these notes are interesting, not to mention sad, commentaries of the time in any case.

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  • HeywoodHeywood Posts: 1,246 ✭✭✭
    One of the interesting(?) things about the first painting is how through subtle changes, there is a completely different take away.

    The man has a beard (more menacing?) and is glaring at the woman

    The horse switch, has become a whip and combined with his stare makes it more threatening.

    The woman also appears glancing with some trepidation.

    The early vignette makers were usually just representing contemporary scenes, the man could very well be representing another farm worker watering the horse, but the new version (to me) implies a different relationship.


    A witty saying proves nothing- Voltaire (1694 - 1778)



    An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor

    does the truth become error because nobody will see it. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
  • TookybanditTookybandit Posts: 3,410 ✭✭✭✭
    image
  • STLNATSSTLNATS Posts: 1,597 ✭✭✭
    +1 Heywood



    Exactly my first impression. The paintings are thought provoking for sure but seem to offer a very "modern" point of view that may or may not be an accurate reflection of what was in the engraver's mind or that of contemporaries.



    Similarly my first impression of the painting of the man with the basket of cotton was a turn of the century ad for laundry soap or a like product. I wish the entire exhibit was online because the paintings do indeed make one think about what was behind the vignettes vs how we collectors interpret them.



    Always interested in St Louis MO & IL metro area and Evansville IN national bank notes and Vatican/papal states coins and medals!
  • TigerTraderTigerTrader Posts: 249 ✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: Tookybandit

    image






    Same here...





    I thought the first one certainly had an element of "Propaganda" to it. Although I am in no way shape or form condoning slavery or discrediting the atrocities that occurred...





    I really like the second one. It just brings it to life...

  • Upon closer examination it would seem that the vignette in the OP note doesn’t seem to match the notes in Bowers’ Obsolete Paper Money, Volume 6, pg 346

    The note in the OP with the vignette shown is W-NC-540-003-G010 and DOES NOT have the Red THREE overprint.

    The Red THREE overprint appears on W-NC-540-003-G010a and the vignette on that note is thus:

    ==

    image

    ==

    So the question: is the OPs note a "discovery" or something else?
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  • HeywoodHeywood Posts: 1,246 ✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: techwriter
    Upon closer examination it would seem that the vignette in the OP note doesn’t seem to match the notes in Bowers’ Obsolete Paper Money, Volume 6, pg 346
    The note in the OP with the vignette shown is W-NC-540-003-G010 and DOES NOT have the Red THREE overprint.
    The Red THREE overprint appears on W-NC-540-003-G010a and the vignette on that note is thus:
    ==
    image
    ==
    So the question: is the OPs note a "discovery" or something else?


    I am not clear on why you are saying the vignettes do not match. They match the Haxby plates, and the Bowers. beside the Overprint what is different?


    A witty saying proves nothing- Voltaire (1694 - 1778)



    An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor

    does the truth become error because nobody will see it. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
  • imageHeywood, seems upon CLOSER examination they are same; I thought

    there was a difference in what was in the left hand of the person on the log. Old eyes

    need more help. Sorry.

    I do think, however, the artist took a bit of license with the object in his right hand as original doesn't look to be the whip in the painting.
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