Banknote motif: oval of lathe work ornament with a wavy edge 1819 - 1847

This small print of a lathe-work ornament was produced by Cyrus Durand, an American engraver who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is one of many prints that Durand produced in his lifetime, yet this one is special in that it was specifically designed for use on banknotes. In the nineteenth-century United States, private banks issued their own currency. These banknotes needed to be visually intricate to protect against fraud and forgery. As an engraver, Durand provided expertise to banks designing notes, which allowed for the decentralized monetary system to function. The patterns that Durand developed also had a social function. By creating designs that were difficult to copy, Durand shored up faith in the banking system. This is an example of the complex relationship between art, finance and the social institutions that governed everyday life. To study this relationship further, one could look into archives of defunct local banks or the records of engraving firms.