SEG Presentation: Vignette prints of the Bureau of Engraving & Printing

Love the artistry of them, and the history. I recently picked up a GCF Smillie engraved portrait of Hazel Dawn that he then autographed in 1917. It is in a period frame - and I am in a dilemma about removing the portrait from the frame and putting it in an acid free backing and better sealed frame.

 

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Wow, an autographed vintage vignette! I'd definitely like to see a scan of that one.

 

Another thread, I own so much work that GCF Smillie did:

http://www.cointalk.com/t76698/

 

That's a great thread! Now I'm going to have to search my collection for his work.

 

Found yet another example of usage for the standing George Washington vignette, this time on a very familiar piece of currency--a fractional! I missed this one earlier because so little of the vignette is used, only Washington's head. It appears on the 3 cent third issue of 1864.

The vignette, I've learned, was engraved by O.G. Hanks, who joined American Bank Note in 1859. Several more of his engravings appear on early federal notes, including the statue of Freedom on the 1862 $5 Demand Note.

 

I stumbled my way into this thread a year late

I found my way here while doing some research on engravings for the BEP. You've got some great stuff here. You might like to know that the Valley Forge vignette was engraved by my great great grandfather Stephen A. Schoff (1818-1904). He was employed by the BEP briefly from 1869 to 1871, but he worked in the bank note field in general for his entire career. The Valley Forge vignette was designed by F.O.C. Darley and was intended to go on a U.S. $1 note that was never issued.

The vignette known as "Introduction of the Old World to the New (Pocahontas Presented at Court by John Rolfe)" at the right side of the $10 "Jackass Note", which you show in another posting was also by Schoff.

If anyone would like to see more of his work, in the bank note field as well as illustrations and portraits, you are welcome to have a look at an online album I have up on Picasa: https://picasaweb.google.com/105581...HistoricalEngraverStephenAlonzoSchoff18181904#
Comments are welcome if anyone is able to match any of his engravings with bank notes, stock certificates, stamps, etc.

 

You finally made it! Welcome to Coin Talk's Paper Money forum. I think you'll find a lot of interesting threads here. I've listed a bunch of mine at the end of this one: http://www.cointalk.com/t192032/#post1267519
Which, by the way, contains a Schoff engraving. I'm sure you'll find it.

Greg

 

What a wonderful history you're documenting, it must be thrilling to make the connections you have of Schoff's works. Thanks for posting, I had a good read through your site.

Dave

 

Thanks so much for this resource. I found my way here by researching a vignette I have. I'm still coming up empty as far as details about it, but I suspect it was taken from one of the volumes bound for dignitaries, as you described. I wrote a note to Elizabeth Hahn at the Numismatics Society and she was kind enough to help some and provide several other resources, including a book that's about to be published by the society—out of my price range at the moment—The Feel of Steel: The Art and History of Bank-Note Engraving in the United States by Mark Tomasko. The piece I have is, like so many of these engravings, luscious for the eyes!

My card measures about 6 by 8 inches. And it has what appears to be the remnant of a hinge on the back edge (inside edge, were it bound). What I'd love to find out is who the artist was for this version of the American eagle. And where it was used, if known.

View attachment 196593

Cheers, Paul

I just found an example online (http://www.aype.net/souvenirs/bureauofengraving.html). The Yukon Alaska Pacific Exposition of 1909 used the image in a publication. Not sure if it originated at that time.

 

Welcome to the forum, Paul! For some reason, I can't open the attachment link to the eagle vignette. You might try to repost by clicking on Go Advanced; Manage Attachments; Add Files. But the image needs to be JPG format and no larger than 250K.

I was able to follow the link to the Alaska-Yukon forerunner cards, so I think I get a sense of the vignette. The best info I have is that this vignette was used on souvenir cards at four major expositions, the earliest being the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. A very similar vignette was featured on a contemporary souvenir card from the 2008 ANA Baltimore show, which I'm posting. This eagle, according to the BEP information card, was engraved by picture engraver William O. Marks, in October 1918. Marks, however, was born in 1899, so he couldn't have done the original. According to "The Engraver's Line" by Gene Hessler (which I highly recommend as a reference), Marks started at the Bureau in 1917 and retired in 1955. "As an apprentice he skillfully copied the work of earlier engravers."

I'll keep an eye out for other information regarding this vignette. The BEP may be able to supply some information directly -- I'll check.

 

Found it! Your vignette was engraved by Lorenzo Hatch -- it was known as the "Hatch eagle." Hatch was one of the best known engravers at the Bureau, and produced portraits that appeared on many federal bank notes, including the Garfield portrait on the $5 National Bank Note.
http://www.cointalk.com/t197344/#post1334396

It was used at:
1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition.
1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis World's Fair)
1907 Jameston Ter-centennial Exposition
1909 Alaska-Yukon Exposition

Possibly other events, too, since there are cards known to have been issued, but not all vignettes have not been identified.

 

gsalexan, It's good to see a SEG presentation even if it's for an old thread.
Still loving reading it again.

 

So kind of you to take the time on this, gsalexan. THANKS. I'll try again with the image. I'll just post a link to the image on my server. I found an example of the "Hatch Eagle" on the back of a 1918 $1 Federal Reserve Bank Note, Fr-728, however it's different in several ways.

link to both:
http:www.pmbooks.com/eagle/eagles.jpg

a few close-ups:
http://www.pmbooks.com/eagle/eagle-cl1sm.jpg
http://www.pmbooks.com/eagle/eagle-cl2sm.jpg
http://www.pmbooks.com/eagle/eagle-cl3sm.jpg

EDITED

 

LOVE your eagle vignette now that I can see it.

The eagle on the 1918 FRN is not engraved by Hatch -- that was a mistake I made at first, too. The head is nearly exactly the same, but the wings are considerably different. That one - known as "eagle with flag" -- was engraved in 1909 by Robert Ponickau. It also appears on a 1919 Victory bond.

 

What a hairline world those artist lived! I think I'll have to save up and get a copy of The Feel of Steel. I wish I could pinpoint where this came from; I've had it for many years and the best I can guess is that it was amongst a collection of American penmanship specimens collection by William C. Henning. At least I think that's where it's from. Thanks again for taking a gander at it.

 

I had heard "The Feel of Steel" was being reissued and I've been considering getting a copy, but it's still more than $100. The original limited edition runs for about $600 now and contains about a dozen engraved prints. I believe this version is soft cover, but I think it also has an engraved frontispiece.

Not familiar with William C. Henning -- or how this vignette fits in with penmanship -- but I sure appreciate you sharing it! :smile

 

I wonder if that is a common mistake, since Heritage Auctions described it as:

1918 $1 Federal Reserve Bank Note, Fr-728, Very Fine. This Chicago Ace has the "Hatch Eagle" vignette on the back. It was engraved by Lorenzo Hatch.

Do you suppose they were both done by Lorenzo Hatch? "Variations on a Theme?"

 

The eagle and flag info comes straight from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing; I'm not sure where Heritage got their details. But I wouldn't be surprised if Ponickau worked from Hatch's outline or a partially completed plate. Often several engravers worked on a single plate, although Hatch retired from the BEP many years before Ponickau was hired.

 

Here is the card on the Hatch eagle vignette, supplied by the kind folks at BEP:

http://www.pmbooks.com/eagle/hatch-eagle-card.jpg

Not being a numismaticist (?), I've little understanding of what the documents are that are referenced. 1886 seems to be the date it was created or catalogued.

 

How intriguing! This is the first scan I've seen of one of these BEP reference sheets. It looks like the early uses for the vignette was on federal bonds. Later it saw use on military commissioning papers. I think 1886 would be when it was first used -- a year before Hatch retired from the Bureau.

Interesting that only one exposition is mentioned -- the 1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition. And that was one I missed!

Thank you for posting this, Paul.