Banknote vignette showing two men working in a mine 1819 - 1837

Editor: Here we have Asher Brown Durand's "Banknote vignette showing two men working in a mine," an engraving dating from between 1819 and 1837. I’m immediately struck by how raw the depiction of labor is. It feels quite different from the more idealized portrayals of work you often see. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see the convergence of labor, capital, and Romanticism's visual language. As an engraving intended for banknotes, it represents value creation through the physical exertion of mining. The print medium itself is crucial here; think of the skilled labor involved in producing the plates. Who owned the mines and benefitted from this toil? This image both obscures and reveals those relationships. Editor: So, it’s not just about the men working, but about what their labor represents in a larger economic system? Curator: Exactly. Consider the Romanticism tag – it seemingly romanticizes nature, but here nature is something to be exploited. Durand chose to highlight these working-class men, using printmaking. It connects craft to ‘high art,’ disrupting expected boundaries. Do you consider it successful? Editor: Well, seeing it as an engraving for currency is enlightening. It almost feels subversive, showing labor so directly on an object representing financial exchange. What does labor gain from labor? Curator: Precisely! It pushes us to question what is valorized – the land, the raw materials, or the bodies performing labor. Consider how that plays into ideas around American identity at this time. It might suggest an argument: maybe it wasn't so successful, given that this is just one vignette within a banknote. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way, in terms of value and artistic intervention. Thanks, I have learned so much.