One Dollar Bill with "Walking Liberty" Half Dollar, and Dr. Philipp R. Manecke, Jr.'s Prescription Form
Attributed to
Otis Kaye
(American, 1885 - 1974)
Circle of
Nicholas Alden Brooks
(American, 1840 - 1904)
Dateafter 1929
MediumOil on wooden board
DimensionsOverall: 4 3/4 x 8 3/4in. (12.1 x 22.2cm)
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Credit LineGift of Henry B. and Mary D. Holt
Object number2013.14
On View
Not on viewCollections
CopyrightPresumed copyright: the artist or the artist's representative/heir(s).
Label TextThe artist who painted this work was one of a number of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century individuals who used precise painting skills to render illusionistic images of United States currency. Their paintings are part of a larger art-historical tradition called trompe l'oeil (French for "fool the eye").
The physician, Philipp R. Manecke, Jr., whose name appears on the prescription form in the lower right corner of the composition received his medical degree in June 1929, and was described in the New York Times as a "surgeon and naturalist."
The work could not have been painted any earlier than 1916 because the "Walking Liberty" half dollar depicted in the painting was first minted by the U.S. government that year. It is even more likely the work was executed after June 1929 when Manecke received his MD degree.
Despite recent efforts to determine the identity of the artist who painted this work, its authorship remains a mystery. It is hoped that by putting the painting on display information about who painted it will surface.
PDS
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