New York Colonial Currency [New York Water Works] – Four Shillings
An emission of £2,750 in promissory notes issued by the City of New York, known as the third of four "Water Works" issues. The numeral 3 over the initial T on the face of the notes indicates this was the third issue. The series is known as the Water Works issues because the back of each note has an engraving of a steam powered water pump proposed by the engineer Christopher Colles. The Water Works emission was printed by Hugh Gaine in New York City with red and black inks on the face and black ink on the back. A coarse dark paper was used on the back of all denominations in this issue. Denominations issued were: 2s, 4s and 8s.
Artwork Details
- Title: New York Colonial Currency [New York Water Works] – Four Shillings
- Printer: Hugh Gaine (American, Belfast, Ireland ca. 1726–1807 New York)
- Date: January 6, 1776
- Medium: Engraving and letterpress, printed in red and black ink
- Dimensions: sheet: 2 1/8 x 3 1/2 in. (5.4 x 8.9 cm.)
- Classifications: Prints, Ephemera
- Credit Line: Bequest of Charles Allen Munn, 1924
- Object Number: 24.90.1559
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Hugh Gaine (American, Belfast, Ireland ca. 1726–1807 New York)
August 2, 1775
Hugh Gaine (American, Belfast, Ireland ca. 1726–1807 New York)
February 16, 1771
Hugh Gaine (American, Belfast, Ireland ca. 1726–1807 New York)
February 16, 1771
Bernard Romans (American, Delft, Holland 1720–1784 at sea)
ca. 1775
Engraved, printed and sold by Paul Revere Jr. (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1734–1818 Boston, Massachusetts)
1770
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.