The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-06
PRINCE of MONEY-MAKERs.
Nevertheless He IL a Poor Man, for
the Money He Makes il Uncle SANS

From the San Francisco Examiner
| In a quiet spot i'm New York CITY little
suggesting money, there lives an indi-
vidual to whom the bond issue and the
bringing out OF silver certificates and new
I bills is OF more Importance than TO anv
collection OF people or Wall street syndi-
cate.
! This is Will H. Low, the star OF the
government artists, and the designer of
J the new money that will appear upon the
4 street In April.
/ The making of a dollar bin is to him
| the work of months without considering
4 the final engraving Of the bill in the treas
ury All the year round he is busy MAX
/ ing money and though he makes Il in
a different sense from the money-makers
/ in general, 1t is no less a business with
I him.
The getting out of a bond issue Is
different matter from the designing of
bill, but II all requires the hand of
an artist before the bond is ready for
presentation to the public.
/ Mr.. Low requires, when there is a bill
| to be designed, the commission from the
art department of the treasury. He is
up a bill of such and such denomination
after an original design. No limited time
is given him, but he is to do II as
soon as he can. The design takes the
With a piece of drawing paper before
him two feet by one foot, or as large
as good-sized writing pad, the man
who makes the money for the treasury
goes to work upon the bill. He thinks Of
allegorical figures, recalls historical
sketches and finally repudiates all and in
iginal conception.
! In the new one-dollar bill that Is now
being made in the engraving department
of the treasury the design is a figure
design. The title is History Instructing
Youth" A female figure points to Youth,
who stands beside. her, the growth Of the
country. In the distance is the Washing
ton monument and the capitol. and upon
a slab at her feet is the constitution of
the United States.
The drawing for a bill takes three
months, If the artist works upon II indus
triously. Mr.. Low once, when rushed with
outside work. did a design in two months.
but he did not enjoy the work. Three, or
even four months is none too much time.
The bill is complete when it leaves his
! hands. 1t IS Ike mammoth note and
would deceive a color-blind person at a
distance. The color is lacking. That is all
1t is done in black and white, and when
the engraving is made 1t is printed upon
greenback government paper, and the seal
is done in deep red. Many of the completed
designs are I'm oil colors, done by the ar
tist, and are exquisite works of art.
The fine lines that an artist must draw
can be noted by studying a greenback
Every mark upon IL must be made by his
hand. and made carefully. If there is a
careless stroke the treasury department.
which Is a very able and critical one will
reject 1t; and the man who makes money
will have to make IL over again.
The recompense for the designing of gov
eminent bills is very small. 1t is great
deal less than able artist could earn at
doing other kinds of work. In three months
he could fresco a large wall or paint a pic
ture for the academy that would bring in
its thousands. But the designing Of bank
notes is a matter of pride with every Amer
lean artist. and he would rather do it at
a paltry sum than paint pictures for
fortune. Unless necessity compels an ar
list to paint for a living, he will do bank
notes whenever the government shall COM
mission him. The pay is sure and good
but II is no such fortune as great artists
get for their pictures Uncle Sam is not
niggardly, but he cannot be expected 10
pay fancy prices for his currency