Monday, January 24, 2011

Curious Artwork from 1857

Farmers tending cattle and plump little sheep...
A cornucopia spills forth 2 pumpkins and a watermelon; nearby stands a plow, a sheaf of wheat, and a straw skep. Spinning wheel on the right? I wish I knew what the crossed bars in front represent...
Lady with book, torch, document, and eagle, who has his own George Washington necklace and a clawful of arrows and greenery...what is this hodgepodge of images from?
Ah. It's an 1857 banknote from the Bank of Ypsilanti. What a beautiful piece of art.

3 comments:

  1. It is a spinning wheel. From the height, it looks like a walking wheel, but those usually have rather narrow rims.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Did you notice that in the background of that picture is a big bee skep?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dee: thanks for the spinning wheel confirmation. And yep, saw that lovely old skep.

    ReplyDelete