New-York tribune., 1902-04-21
ARTISTIC CURRENCY.
SUGGESTIONS LOOKING TO THE IMPROVE
MENT OF THE DESIGNS FOR PAPER
MONEY AND COINS.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The Tribune is 10 be thanked by artists and
people of artistic sense for bringing up the sub
ject OF the designs of the national currency 1t Is
n matter of the greatest Importance that our
coins and cur paper money should De entirely re-
designed in fashion showing some traces at least
OF correct taste and proper artistic quality The
silver quarter particularly is so badly drawn
and modelled that one would suppose 1t was the
work of village wood carver.
few years ago the officials of the Treasury
Department in answer to general demand Ior
better designs in the currency took up the matter
and called upon the leading officers OF one or two
large artistic societies in New-fork for assistance
and suggestion. Whatever the advice given was
exactly is not known but the result was that some
rainters Of national reputation received coranais
stons for designing bills very liberal price anu
the designs they produced appeared later on 70 the
disgust of most people of knowledge in such Things
as well as people who knew very Hrtle. The idea
of intyusting the designing Of such a thing as d
bankuote 10 a painter, matter how eminent
was very serious mistake, and the ehaaees are
that the Treasury officials we're not 10 blame LOT
they acted in good faith and made an henes0
effort to secure artistic work The blunder mas set
hack the whole business full generation. since
the Treasury officials say that they tried the
artistic scheme, and 10 was total failure IneIe
is not painter of the figure or landscape out Oh
ffty who has any knowledge of artistic design OK
the necessary in such work as thlS wIl-o
among decorative painters to find one capao4e OF
anything OF the kind would be almost as dlfhculr
Does any suppose for moment that II the
Treasury people had gone TO the art director Oh
one of the great magazines they would nave oeeh
sent to T. noted picture painter a mural painter
for banknote design? Hardly and just mere
damage been done 10 the artistic cause III lho
department at Washington The designs the gov
ernrnent paid for extremely poor: they lacked
originality and as issued contemplate. taken
as a whole. Whatever merit the figure part con-
tained vas lost amid badly drawn and clumsy
ornaments. copied from the German BOOKS tnal
strew most decorative workshops. and IT is fact
that the average OF commercial engraved
printing in daily use throughout the country Is faf
better artIstieaIly than the whole bunch
If a sculptor attempts an important monurenI
he chooses the architectural setting from the oe-
signs of an architect who cOllabOrates with hinl-
If a suitable design for a banknote is TO be Sc
cured II must be the joint work OF a fine figure
draughtsman and thoroughly trained Gecoraave
arsst " whH h h4s frer 10 be found in the country
and probably dozen Of the latter are PTenaehss ss
national government 10 secure designs for bank
notes that w tS9se Of every Other
nation works of absolutely fine art dlS5lnctyhs,
secured from sources unused to such compositions;
As suggestion in this drection. let II De
per's' and "seribner's'' magazines would make
the treasury ten artists of DISTINCTION in the line
of decorative design who might be S9mMdiir mdMnsEdoiisr
note The Secretary should pay these artists
same committee should select three designs Nr Ior
prizes and one Of these would be the design many
TO be recommended for adoption by the Ireasuts,
Department. In order to secure the Work %
decorative designers OF high reputation an tnoso
invited to submit drawings should receive eea,
tain payment as is done in correct arcnitectulaa.
competitions at the present time. Good artiS1s
Will not at all otherwise and that must 70
understood positively at the beginning ,v
The coinage ought TO be revised IN the same w.
in order that foreigners not imagine Ciai5
Americans are a pack of ignorant, unculuyateu
barbarians, whose money is made In stoSe ioo,, oa,
dries or bv small boys. Daniel French st: GduI
dens and Herbert Adams are badly needed IN ,tic s
particular; they would give coins SO artis.,t
and beautiful we would be a nation OF misers: oul
since the revision OF the paper money has been ~
tempted and a failure scored by unfoftuns;;t
steering. let the Secretary Of the Treasury ~ "
over in the right way A614SA.
Cincinnati, April II, 1862