Exquisite circa 1860s Steel Engraving - Antique Print -

TITLE: THE UNITED STATES BANK, PHILADELPHIA

Engraved by: J Tingle after Artist: W H Bartlett

Approximate Image Size: 4 3/4 X 7 1/4 inches

Approximate Overall Size With Margins: 8 1/2 X 11 1/2 inches

CONDITION: Suitable age toning. Excellent Condition. Steel engraving is striking and clean. Blank on Reverse side and Printed on medium weight paper. Image protection stamp is not on the actual print.

A beautiful steel engraving of circa 1860s -

(General Info Only, Not included with print) The Bank of the United States, central bank chartered in 1791 by the U.S. Congress at the urging of Alexander Hamilton and over the objections of Thomas Jefferson. Extended debate over its constitutionality contributed significantly to the evolution of pro and anti-bank factions into the first American political parties—respectively, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. Antagonism over the bank issue grew so heated that its charter could not be renewed in 1811. Reconstituted in 1816, the Bank of the United States continued to stir controversy and partisanship, with Henry Clay and the Whigs ardently supporting it and Andrew Jackson and the Democrats ardently opposing it. The first Bank of the United States was a cornerstone of Hamilton's fiscal policy; it was a means to fund the public debt left from the Revolution, to facilitate the issuance of a stable national currency, and to provide a convenient means of exchange for all the people of the United States. It was capitalized at $10,000,000 and fully subscribed almost instantly, with the federal government holding the largest block of ownership, 20 percent. A substantial interest in the bank was also purchased by Europeans. (wikipedia source)