Satirical bank note, The People's Money, Cheap and plenty, Boston, Mass., circa 1870s

Description

Satirical bank note dating from the 1870s, during American political and financial turmoil regarding the usage of "greenbacks" or fiat currency not backed by the gold standard. The note mocks the pro-greenback political stance of Massachusetts congressman and former Union major general Benjamin F. Butler and declares the government's greenbacks to be "absolute nonsense" and worth whatever denomination the user decides upon. One side includes a portrait of Butler and illustrations of a paper mill and printing press where the paper money is being created. The other side includes a political cartoon of Butler feeding geese with slips of paper that read "this is corn", "this is meal", "this is oats", etc., with the U.S. Capitol Building in the background.