ARTISTRY

1896 Silver Certificate

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1896 Silver Certificate front
1896 Silver Certificate back
  • The back, or reverse, of this note features portraits of George and Martha Washington. Martha is the only woman whose portrait appeared on U.S. currency. Her portrait also appeared on the $1 silver certificate of 1886 and 1891.
  • Titled History Instructing Youth, this note is from the 1896 silver certificate series nicknamed the "educational series" because the allegorical motifs were used to commemorate 120 years of U.S. achievements.
  • The note's front, or obverse, features a classically robed female representing history. She instructs a young boy about the U.S. Constitution, to which she is pointing. The background is a landscape of Washington DC featuring the Capitol Dome and the Washington Monument.
  • The note is framed with the names of famous Americans such as Lincoln, Hamilton, Morse, Sherman, Jefferson, Longfellow, Clay, Farragut, and Emerson.