In early 18th centuryColonial America,engravers began experimenting with copper plates as an alternative medium towood. Applied to the production of paper currency, copper-plate engraving allowed for greater detail and production during printing. It was the transition tosteel engraving that enabled banknote design and printing to rapidly advance in the United States during the 19th century.

The first issue of government-authorized paper currency in America was printed by theProvince of Massachusetts Bay in 1690.^[1] This first issue, dated 10 December 1690, was printed from anengraved copper plate with four subjects to a sheet.^[2] The first engraver identified in archival records wasJohn Coney who appears to have been paid 30£ on 12 March 1703^[3] to engrave three copper plates for the Massachusetts issue dated 21 November 1702.^[4] Given the many design similarities between the 1690 note and those engraved by Coney in 1702, there has been speculation that he may have engraved the earlier note. If true, he would be the first American to engrave on copper plates.^[5] Several historical figures with a background in engraving and printing were involved in the production of early American currency.

Benjamin Franklin began printingProvince of Pennsylvania notes in 1729,^[6] took on a partner (David Hall) in 1749,^[7] and then left the currency printing business after the 1764 issue.^[8]Paul Revere both engraved and printed bank notes^[9][10] for the Province and then the state ofMassachusetts between 1775 and 1779,^[11] and theProvince of New Hampshire in 1775.^[12] Revere's father,Apollos Rivoire, was John Coney's pupil.^[13]David Rittenhouse engraved some border designs for the 10 May 1775Continental currency^[14] and 25 March 1776Colony of New Jersey 6£ note.^[15]Francis Hopkinson does not appear to have done engraving, but he is credited with the designs for border-cuts, emblems, and mottos on three issues of Continental currency in 1778–1779.^[16]

The first series of Federally-issued United States banknotes was authorized by Congressional acts on 17 July 1861 (12 Stat. 259) and 5 August 1861 (12 Stat. 313). While theDemand Notes were issued from the United States Treasury, they were engraved and printed elsewhere. In 1861, in fact until the mid-1870s, the Treasury Department lacked the facilities or infrastructure to engrave and print the bulk of it financial paper and therefore relied on external contracts with private bank note companies. By means of a Congressional act dated 11 July 1862 (12 Stat. 532), the Secretary of the Treasury received authorization to purchase machinery and employ the staff necessary to manufacture currency at the Treasury. It was not until 1877 (19 Stat. 353) that the Bureau of Engraving and Printing was given funding for labor, paper, transportation, and other expenses with the provision that all work be conducted on site, and for a price commensurate with that of the private bank note companies. On 1 October 1877, the BEP took over the production of both United States Note and National Bank Note production.^[17]

“TO ARTISTS, ENGRAVERS AND OTHERS – Designs for National Currency Notes are hereby invited, of the denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1,000, to be issued under the Act of Congress authorizing a National Currency, approved25 February 1863”.^[18] Salmon Chase, Secretary of the Treasury, placed this classified notice in late March, 1863. Other than describe some of the required features of each note (e.g., legal wording, placement of Treasury signatures, etc.), the only direction given to prospective applicants was that submissions must be original (i.e., they cannot have ever been illustrated on U.S. currency) and that "the designs must be national in their character".^[18] It is uncertain how many proposals were submitted, or what was involved in the selection process, but the final decision was to draw heavily on the use of historic American images which adorn theCapitol Rotunda.^{[nb 1]} The motivation for this selection was two-fold: educationally it would circulate images depicting important scenes from American history while at the same time enhancing the security of the note by involving highly complex engravings.^[20]

By July 1863, contracts were signed withAmerican Bank Note Company (ABNCo) and Continental Bank Note Company (CBNCo) (which would later be absorbed by ABNCo) to design, engrave, and begin printing National Bank Notes.^[21] ABNCo was contracted for the $20, $50, and $100 denominations,^[22] CBNCo was contracted for the $5 and $10 denominations,^[23] and National Bank Note Company contracted for the designs for the $2, $500, and $1,000 denominations.^[24] The contract descriptions addresses each denomination individually and specifies which image from the Capitol Rotunda should be used for the reverse and what type of vignettes should be on the obverse (with specific names).^{[nb 2]} The first National Bank Notes were issued on 21 December 1863.^[17]

In 1871,George Frederick Cumming Smillie (G.F.C. Smillie) worked for his uncleJames David Smillie at theAmerican Banknote Company. In his career Smillie began working as an engraver for theU.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) in 1894. In 1918 he was made the superintendent of portrait engraving at the BEP. His portraits and vignettes appeared on stamps, currencies and securities.^[26] He was a steel-plate engraver and was known for his engravings of presidential portraits.^[27] Another BEP engraver namedCharles Schlecht began his engraving career at the American Bank Note Company.^[28] He later engraved the scene on the obverse of theUnited States one-dollar bill for the 1896Educational Series:History Instructing Youth.^[29][30]

Art and engraving on National Bank Notes (First Charter Period)^{[nb 3]}

Banknote	Value/series[nb 4]	Vignette	Vignette information[nb 5]
	$1 Original Series The First National Bank Lebanon, Indiana PresJohn C. Daily CashAbram O. Miller		Concordia (eng)Charles Burt[33] (Art) Theodore August Liebler[34]
			Landing of the Pilgrims (eng) Charles Burt[nb 6] (art) Edwin White[35]
	$2 Series 1875[nb 7] The First National Bank Emporia, Kansas Pres Harrison Cory Cross Cash Elliott Raper Holderman		Stars and Stripes (eng) Luigi (Louis) Delnoce[36]
	$5 Series 1875[nb 8] The Vineland National Bank Vineland, New Jersey PresHoratio N. Greene Cash Willis T. Virgil		Landing of Columbus (eng) Unsure[nb 9] (art)John Vanderlyn
	$10 Series 1875[nb 10] The First National Bank Bismarck, North Dakota VPHenry Rinaldo Porter Cash O.H. Whitaker		Franklin and Electricity (eng)Alfred Jones[38]
			DeSoto Discovering the Mississippi (eng)Frederick Girsch[39] (art)John Trumbull
	$20 Series 1875 The First National Bank Butte, Montana PresAndrew Jackson Davis Cash Emerson B. Weirick		Battle of Lexington (eng) Luigi (Louis) Delnoce[36] (Art)F. O. C. Darley[40]
			Loyalty (eng) Alfred Jones[38]
			Baptism of Pocahontas (eng) Charles Burt[33] (art)John G. Chapman
	$50 Series 1875[nb 11] The First National Bank Cleveland, Ohio PresJames Barnett CashAlbert K. Spencer		Embarkation of the Pilgrims (eng) W.W. Rice[41] (art)Robert W. Weir
	$100 Original Series[nb 12] The Raleigh National Bank Raleigh, North Carolina PresWilliam Horn Battle CashCharles Francis Dewey		Declaration of Independence (eng) Frederick Girsch[39] (art)John Trumbull
	$500 Original Series[nb 13] The Appleton National Bank Lowell, Massachusetts PresJohn A. Knowles Cash John F. Kimball		Civilization (eng)James David Smillie[42]
			Surrender of General Burgoyne (eng) Frederick Girsch[39] (art)John Trumbull
	$1,000 Series 1875 (proof)[nb 14] The First National Bank Salem, Massachusetts		Scott Entering City of Mexico (eng) Alfred Jones[38]
			General George Washington Resigning His Commission (eng) Delnoce[36] & Girsch[39] (art)John Trumbull

• 
  Landing of the Pilgrims
• 
  Landing of Columbus byJohn Vanderlyn, 1847
• 
  DeSoto's Discovery of the Mississippi
• 
  Baptism of Pocahontas
• 
  Embarkation of the Pilgrims
• 
  Signing of the Declaration of Independence
• 
  Surrender of General Burgoyne
• 
  Washington Resigning his Commission

Art and engraving on Interest Bearing Notes

Banknote	Value/series	Vignette	Vignette information[nb 5]
	$10 One-year 5% (1864)		Peace
	$50 Two-year 5% (1864)		Caduceus (eng) Alfred Jones (art) John W. Casilear
	$100 Two-year 5% (1864)		Farmer and Mechanic
			In the Turret
	$1,000 One-year 5% (1863)		Justice
	$1,000 Two-year 5% (1863)		Guerriere and Constitution[nb 15]
	$5,000 One-year 5% (1863)		The Altar of Liberty (eng) Luigi (Louis) Delnoce

Art and engraving on Other Notes

Banknote	Value/series	Vignette	Vignette information[nb 5]
	$10Legal Tender (1880)		Introduction of the Old World to the New
	$5 Legal Tender (1880)		The Pioneer also known asThe Woodcutter orWood-Chopper (eng) Gugler
	$500Gold certificate (1882)		Eagle

Portraits

Banknote[nb 16]	Value/series	Portrait	Vignette information[nb 5]
	$1Legal Tender (1880)		George Washington
	$2Legal Tender (1880)		Thomas Jefferson (Eng) Charles Burt[44]
	$5,000Gold certificate (1870)		James Madison (Eng) Alfred Sealey[45]
	$100Silver certificate (1891)		James Monroe (Eng) Luigi (Louis) Delnoce[46]
	$500Legal Tender (1869)		John Quincy Adams (Eng) Charles Burt[47]
	$10,000Gold certificate (1875)		Andrew Jackson (Eng) Alfred Sealey[45]
	$500Gold certificate (1870)		Abraham Lincoln
	$5,000 4% Consol Bond (1877)		Andrew Johnson
	$20,000 U.S. Funded Loan Bond (1891)		Zachary Taylor
	$20Legal Tender (1869)		Alexander Hamilton (Eng) Charles Burt[48]
	$0.50Fractional currency		Samuel Dexter
	$0.50Fractional currency		William Crawford (Eng) Charles Burt[49]
	$0.25Fractional currency		Robert Walker (Eng) Charles Burt[49]
	$0.10Fractional currency		William Meredith (Eng) Charles Burt[49]
	$20,000 4% Consol Bond (1877)		Salmon P. Chase
	$20Silver certificate (1886)		Daniel Manning (Eng)Lorenzo Hatch[50]
	$2Silver certificate (1891)		William Windom (Eng) William Phillips[51]

• Blake, George Herbert (1908).United States paper money. George H. Blake. p. 23.
• Fielding, Mantle (1917).American Engravers Upon Copper and Steel. Burt Franklin.
• Friedberg, Arthur L.; Friedberg, Ira S. (2013).Paper Money of the United States: A Complete Illustrated Guide With Valuations (20th ed.). Coin & Currency Institute.ISBN 978-0-87184-520-7.
• Hessler, Gene (1993).The Engraver's Line – An Encyclopedia of Paper Money & Postage Stamp Art. BNR Press.ISBN 0-931960-36-3.
• Hessler, Gene (2004).U.S. Essay, Proof and Specimen Notes (2 ed.). BNR Press.ISBN 0-931960-62-2.
• Newman, Eric P. (2008).The Early Paper Money of America (5 ed.). Krause Publications.
• Stauffer, David M. (1907).American Engravers Upon Copper and Steel. The Grolier Club of the City of New York.

• Banknotes of the United States
• Engraving

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