Images of Value: The Artwork behind US Security Engraving, 1830s-1980s

by Mark D. Tomasko, William H. Gerdts (Preface by)

Overview

By the 1860s, America had become the world leader in security engraving, a result of the antebellum banking system; and picture engraving was the key defense against counterfeiting. Published to accompany the eponymous exhibition held at the Grolier Club, this fully illustrated catalogue includes original works by American artists, such as F. O. C. Darley, Henry Inman, James D. Smillie, Walter Shirlaw, Alonzo E. Foringer, and others. Every medium is represented, from beautiful watercolor drawings to large allegorical oil paintings, each paired with the banknotes and securities on which the resulting engravings appeared. The frontispiece in each copy is an intaglio print of the vignette "Abundance," engraved by Robert Savage in 1927 from artwork by Alonzo E. Foringer. With a preface by William H. Gerdts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605830674
Publisher:	The Grolier Club
Publication date:	07/15/2017
Pages:	174
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Mark D. Tomasko is a historian, collector, author, and researcher of banknote engraving.

Table of Contents

Preface William H. Gerdts 7

Acknowledgments 10

Introduction 12

Notes on Security Engraving and Art 15

Types of Security Engraving 15

Cutting and Etching 15

Siderography 16

Line Engraving as Art 16

Artwork Sources and Collecting 17

A Leading Engraver's View of Vignette Designs, 100 Years Ago 17

A Brief History of Bank-Note Engraving in the United States 19

Appendix 23

Catalogue 25

The Early Years: Miniature Drawings, 1830s-1840s 26

The Golden Age of Vignette Art, 1850s-1870s: F. O. C. Darley, James D. Smillie, and others 42

Late Nineteenth Century: Prints and Salon Art 88

Early Twentieth Century: Photographs 106

A. E. Foringer: Master Vignette Artist, 1910s-1940s 120

Post-Foringer: Robert Lavin and Contemporaries, 1950s-1980s 140

The F.O.C. Darley Coopers 156

Engraving a Vignette and Siderography 158

Endnotes 161

Engraving Enlargements 164

Bibliography 165

Index 169