Top of page

[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. ]

About this Item

Title

  • Treasury note

Summary

  • A parody of the often worthless fractional currencies or "shinplasters" issued by banks, businesses, and municipalities in lieu of coin. These fractional notes proliferated during the Panic of 1837 with the emergency suspension of specie (i.e., gold and silver) payments by New York banks on May 10, 1837. "Treasury Note" differs from two similar mock bank notes, "6 Cents. Humbug Glory Bank" and "Fifty Cents. Shin Plaster" (nos. 1837-10 and -11) in being payable "out of the joint funds of the United States Treasury." It may mimic the interim notes, first proposed by the administration in September 1837, to be issued by the federal government to relieve the shortage of gold and silver during the crisis. The artist broadly attacks President Van Buren's pursuit of predecessor Andrew Jackson's hard-money policies as the source of the crisis. Witness the caricature at the right, of Jackson as an ass excreting coins or "Mint Drops," collected in a hat by a Van Buren monkey. Note also the presence of the former President at left, as an old woman clad in bunting, standing near a cracked globe (a punning allusion to the name of Francis Preston Blair's administration organ newspaper). The print also caricatures Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton, an ardent bullionist and supporter of Jackson's and Van Buren's fiscal programs. Benton is shown as a tumblebug pushing a large ball, a motif given fuller treatment in "N. Tom O' Logical Studies" (no. 1837-14). In the main scene Van Buren appears as a winged monster on a wagon driven by Calhoun and drawn by a team of men in yokes through a narrow arch labeled "Wall Street" and "Safety Fund Banks." This may refer to the influence Van Buren exerted on New York banks through the Safety Fund system, whereby member banks observed a certain ratio of notes (paper money) to specie (coin) set by a state banking commission. The wagon crushes several men beneath its wheels. The Van Buren beast reclines on several weapons (symbolizing treachery) and sacks of treasury notes. In his tail he grasps a torch, having set off the destruction of a town which burns in the distance. Nearby stand Andrew Jackson and another man, perhaps fiscal adviser Reuben Whitney or Treasury Secretary Levi Woodbury. Jackson says, "I did not think John C. could crack such a good whip." The second man responds, "Oh! Matty has had him in training, the nullifying turncoat." This is a swipe at Whig senator John Calhoun's recent support for Democratic measures in Congress.

Names

  • Robinson, Henry R., -1850.
  • Sarony, Napoleon, 1821-1896.

Created / Published

  • [New York] : H.R. Robinson, 1837.

Headings

  • -  Benton, Thomas Hart,--1782-1858
  • -  Calhoun, John C.--(John Caldwell),--1782-1850
  • -  Jackson, Andrew,--1767-1845
  • -  Van Buren, Martin,--1782-1862
  • -  United States.--Dept. of the Treasury--1830-1840
  • -  Globe (Washington, D.C. : Daily)--1830-1840
  • -  Banking--1830-1840
  • -  Depressions--United States--1830-1840--1830-1840
  • -  Economic policy--1830-1840
  • -  Shinplasters (Fractional currency)
  • -  Safety Fund

Headings

  • Lithographs--1830-1840.
  • Political cartoons--1830-1840.

Genre

  • Lithographs--1830-1840
  • Political cartoons--1830-1840

Notes

  • -  "Printed & publd. by H.R. Robinson, 52 Cortlandt Street."
  • -  Signed: Napoleon Sarony.
  • -  Title appears as it is written on the item.
  • -  Murrell, p. 152.
  • -  Weitenkampf, p. 49-50.
  • -  Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)
  • -  Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1837-9.

Medium

  • 1 print : lithograph on wove paper ; 25.0 x 44.2 cm. (image)

Call Number/Physical Location

  • PC/US - 1837.R661, no. 47 (B size) [P&P]

Source Collection

  • American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)

Repository

Digital Id

  • cph 3a05355 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a05355

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2008661305

Reproduction Number

  • LC-USZ62-1566 (b&w film copy neg.)

Rights Advisory

  • No known restrictions on publication.

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not license or charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material.

Ultimately, it is the researcher's obligation to assess copyright or other use restrictions and obtain permission from third parties when necessary before publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections.

For information about reproducing, publishing, and citing material from this collection, as well as access to the original items, see: American Cartoon Print Filing Series - Rights and Restrictions Information

  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.
  • Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-1566 (b&w film copy neg.)
  • Call Number: PC/US - 1837.R661, no. 47 (B size) [P&P]
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

If an image is displaying, you can download it yourself. (Some images display only as thumbnails outside the Library of Congress because of rights considerations, but you have access to larger size images on site.)

Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

  1. If a digital image is displaying: The qualities of the digital image partially depend on whether it was made from the original or an intermediate such as a copy negative or transparency. If the Reproduction Number field above includes a reproduction number that starts with LC-DIG..., then there is a digital image that was made directly from the original and is of sufficient resolution for most publication purposes.
  2. If there is information listed in the Reproduction Number field above: You can use the reproduction number to purchase a copy from Duplication Services. It will be made from the source listed in the parentheses after the number.

    If only black-and-white ("b&w") sources are listed and you desire a copy showing color or tint (assuming the original has any), you can generally purchase a quality copy of the original in color by citing the Call Number listed above and including the catalog record ("About This Item") with your request.

  3. If there is no information listed in the Reproduction Number field above: You can generally purchase a quality copy through Duplication Services. Cite the Call Number listed above and include the catalog record ("About This Item") with your request.

Price lists, contact information, and order forms are available on the Duplication Services Web site.

Access to Originals

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.
  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Robinson, Henry R., -1850, and Napoleon Sarony. Treasury Note. United States, 1837. [New York: H.R. Robinson] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2008661305/.

APA citation style:

Robinson, H. R. & Sarony, N. (1837) Treasury Note. United States, 1837. [New York: H.R. Robinson] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2008661305/.

MLA citation style:

Robinson, Henry R., -1850, and Napoleon Sarony. Treasury Note. [New York: H.R. Robinson] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2008661305/>.