“America with Eagle”, Vignette Die Proof on india paper, CBNCo. 1866

This intaglio engraving is a nineteenth-century vignette die proof printed on India paper by the Continental Bank Note Company of New York. The image depicts a patriotic allegory of America or Columbia, featuring a classically draped female figure standing amidst soft clouds. She holds a liberty pole topped with a Phrygian cap in one hand, while her other arm is raised to support a perched bald eagle with its wings spread. To her left rests a large American shield adorned with stars and stripes, leaning against what appears to be a fasces or a bundle of wheat.