United States Continental Currency Forty Dollars

Anonymous, American, 18th century American

Printer Hall and Sellers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania American

1778

Not on view

Emissions totaling $75,001,080 payable in Spanish milled dollars, or the equivalent in gold or silver, were authorized by nine separate resolutions between September 26, 1778 and July 17, 1779. A large portion was authorized and issued simultaneously with the issue of January 14, 1779. Denominations printed were the: $5, $7, $8, $20, $30, $40, $50 and $60. On the forty dollar bill is an altar with a flame rising from it. Over the altar and flame, breaking from a cloud, is the All-seeing Eye, casting radiance over the whole field. In a circle around the altar are thirteen stars, and the English word "CONFEDERATION." This vignette denotes that under the eye of God the thirteen independent States had confederated, and that upon one altar they had laid their precious sacrifices.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: United States Continental Currency Forty Dollars
Artist: Anonymous, American, 18th century
Printer: Hall and Sellers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date: 1778
Medium: Engraving, letterpress, and nature printing
Dimensions: Sheet: 3 3/4 × 2 11/16 in. (9.5 × 6.9 cm)
Classifications: Prints, Ephemera
Credit Line: Bequest of Charles Allen Munn, 1924
Object Number: 24.90.1546
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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