Banknote vignette showing a zebra
Medium
Etching; proof
Dimensions
plate: 2 13/16 x 3 1/4 in. (7.2 x 8.2 cm) sheet: 4 3/8 x 4 3/4 in. (11.1 x 12.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Joseph Veach Noble, 2002
Accession Number
2002.333.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate etching, created by Asher Brown Durand and his engraving firms between 1824 and 1837, served as a vignette for banknotes. The small proof print captures a zebra with remarkable detail in a compact format, typical of the intricate designs printed on currency during the early American republic. Its modest dimensions—roughly the size of a modern postage stamp—allowed it to be incorporated into larger banknote layouts while showcasing fine line work. Banknote vignettes like this one played a practical role in 19th-century finance, employing elaborate imagery to help prevent counterf...
About the Artist
Asher Brown Durand|A. B. & C. Durand & Company|Durand, Perkins, and Company · 1796–1886
Was a principal member of the Hudson River School. American artist; associated with the Hudson River School of landscape painting. Comment on works: Portraits