Banknote motif: the word ONE with each letter set against a circle of lathe work
Medium
Engraving; proof
Dimensions
sheet: 1 1/4 x 3 3/16 in. (3.2 x 8.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Joseph Veach Noble, 2002
Accession Number
2002.333.53
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate engraving, created around 1824–42 by Cyrus Durand and his associated firms, offers a fascinating glimpse into the early development of secure American currency. The small proof print features the word “ONE” set within intricate circles of lathe work, a technique Durand helped pioneer. These precise, machine-generated patterns were designed to foil counterfeiters, as the complex geometric designs were nearly impossible to replicate by hand. Durand’s innovations in engraving technology transformed banknote production during a period when the United States relied on numerous privat...
About the Artist
A. B. & C. Durand & Company|Durand, Perkins, and Company|Cyrus Durand (American|American|American) · 1824 |1796 |1787 –1832 |1886 |1868
American, active 1824–32|American, Jefferson, New Jersey 1796–1886 Maplewood, New Jersey|American, 1787–1868