Hi, I saw this post a while back and wondered if anyone might be interested in art work by John G. Wellstood? www.cointalk.com › threads › banknote-vignetteBanknote vignette proofs - Coin Talk
Yes, please post what you've got! It would complement the linked thread by @gsalexan nicely, I imagine.
I would certainly like to see it! If you are talking about original art (sketches or watercolors), we may be able to match it up with the final engravings.
sorry to take so long to reply. Somehow I thought I would get replies to my email. I'm new at all this, obviously. I have original engravings. John G. Wellstood was a great, great uncle of mine. When my Grandma passed, my Mom acquired this portfolio. I have pictures, but don't know how to get them on here (again I'm new at all this). I can try upload a file and see what happens. Otherwise would you want to share your emails so I can send the pictures?
Here is one of John Wellstood's advertising cards (not in my collection). Your attached image came through, but it might be easier to click the "Upload a File" button (under the message field), select your photo, then click "Full Image". That will embed the image in the post. I would absolutely love to see more of your Wellstood engravings, but putting an email address in the open is an invitation to spammers. If you can figure out how to post them here, that would be ideal.
Hi, I have a couple of these too. Thanks for sharing. I don't have this one, but I think I can upload one - I'll try. I tried and I don't have it online - maybe I can try to take a picture soon and post it. Thanks again and take good care, Wendy
Those are some nice portrait engravings! If you wouldn't mind pulling up a bit, I'd love to see the entire page. Fyi, John Wellstood was not known for portraits, but he had a younger brother, William, who was a letter and portrait engraver. I wonder if this could be his work.
Thank you, Wendy! The 1842 card is still a bit blurry -- you might try pulling back a little. But the last one with NY state seal helped make a connection for me, that was like a Eureka moment. A little background -- John Wellstood started two banknote firms during his career. The first was Columbian Bank Note Company, which he started in Washington, DC in the 1860s. This one seemed to dry up by the 1870s. The second one, started around 1875, was Excelsior Bank Note Co., which had offices in DC and ... NYC. "Excelsior," as seen on the last engraving, is the New York state motto. So now we know where the name came from! I have several vignette proofs from Excelsior, as well as a sample bond. I wonder if any of these engravings show up in your collection?
Hi and thanks! It will take me a while I think to get used to all of this. I do a bit of art work myself, but not with a phone and computer as many other people have But I'll get there - thanks for being patient. I don't remember any of the prints that you show here, but I have a lot of engravings that involve currency. For some reason when I try to send them from my phone to the computer, I get a blockage. I'm not sure what that would mean, but that's why I'm not able to get them here to show you. There are a lot of other prints - one with a teepee, another with a building with smoke stack, a sailboat - a whole variety.
Those sound interesting! You could email your photos from your phone to computer, but probably not more than 4 or 5 attachments at a time or you might bog down your email server. (Basically, you send the photos to yourself on your phone, then download the email on your computer.)
well look at that! I did something right with all this. That's what I've been doing. I have a gallery and find the picture, send it to my email and then download it and am able, then. to get it here. Funny though I tried about 11 at once and it didn't work. I guess I just need to do it patiently - one at a time. Do you have a preference on which one you'd like to see? I think I already took a picture of the sailboat and teepee and smoke stack. The more I learn on this sight, the more I understand about some of the engravings. And a friend of mine told me all about engravings. That was her Granddad's profession. He was a bit younger than John Wellstood so I guess they wouldn't have known each other, but basically lived in very close proximity. Let me know what you'd like to see and if you want one, let me know that too. I have this whole portfolio and a little notebook. Surely I can spare one of them to send to you. I had sent samples and a cover letter to Sotheby's and Christie's and a few other places hoping to sell the whole portfolio to help me pay for dental bills and other bills. I became physically disabled 31 years ago and thought maybe this would help me out. And maybe it will, but my offer still stands. If there is a particular engraving you'd like, please let me know and then I can send it to wherever you tell me to send it. Hope this wasn't tmi.
I'd like to see anything that isn't a portrait. So buildings, teepee, sailboat, whatever. I find all engravings from this era pretty interesting. I'll send you a private message about the rest. Check your inbox here on the forum.
Is this the teepee you were talking about? This one was engraved by William Wellstood. It was included in an 1863 history book titled "North & South America Illustrated."
A little more background on Excelsior Bank Note Company. John Wellstood worked hard to get a contract from the Treasury to print National Bank Notes, and went as far as creating paste-up designs for what he envisioned on the back of the currency. Here is one essay. At some point I picked up proofs of a number of elements that were used for this paste-up. All of these show up above if you look for them. In the mid-1870s, the Bureau of Engraving & Printing sent a representative to Wellstood's operation, but ultimately turned him down, saying the facility and staff were too small to do the job. In reality, the BEP was trying to bring all currency printing in-house at that time, and wanted to eliminate outsourcing to private companies. Wellstood's timing was unfortunate.
