The "C" Note
Artist
Ferdinand Danton Jr.
(American, 1877-1939)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1890
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions16 x 22 in. (40.6 x 55.9 cm)
Overall, Frame: 17 1/8 × 23 × 1 3/4 in. (43.5 × 58.4 × 4.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 17 1/8 × 23 × 1 3/4 in. (43.5 × 58.4 × 4.4 cm)
InscribedSigned lower right.
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.2618
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 213
Label TextFerdinand Danton, Jr. American, 1877−1939 The "C" Note, ca. 1890s Oil on canvas Ferdinand Danton was a master in the art of deception. At first glance, one might mistake this painted banknote for a real $100 bill. Extra shadows make the lower right corner appear to protrude, tempting a casual viewer to try to pluck it from the wall. Trickery continues in the note itself, which should feature a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, but instead bears the face of William B. Ellison. Could Ellison be the original owner of this painting, or is the portrait an inside joke by the artist? Danton’s practice of deception was not always a laughing matter; although he signed this work with his own name, early in life he served jail time for forging the work of other artists. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2618 ProvenanceAdelson Galleries, Boston, to Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.; gift to Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, 1971.Exhibition History“La peinture américaine: 1830—1900,” Fondation de l’Hermitage, Lausanne, Switzerland, June 27 – October 26, 2014.Published ReferencesANTIQUES, April 1968, p. 412; AMERICAN STILL LIFE PAINTING 1860-1900, ill. p. 11, Nov. 1968, Catalog of Adelson Galleries, Inc., Boston. William Hauptman, _Peindre L'Amerique: Les artistes du Nouveau Monde, 1830-1900_ (Lausanne, Switzerland: Fondation de l'Hermitage and La Bibliotèque des Arts, 2014) 89, cat. 32.
