In the late 1880s, shortly after William Michael Harnett settled in New York City, one of his painted bills was seized as couterfeit by agents from the Treasury Department. Harnett was discouraged from continuing this craft of painting tromp l'oeil money pictures, but the effect on other artists was quite the opposite. It encouraged other artists, particularly N.A. Brooks, to continue painting "counterfeit" bills.

In this painting, as in several other known paintings, Brooks signed Harnett to make light of this development. Dollar Bill and Playbill in the collection of the F.D. Roosevelt Library and Ten Dollar Bill in the Mead Art Museum, both include Harnett inscriptions. It is also interesting to note that the bill includes the name "Nelborgen" as Treasurer of the United States. The inclusion of this name is fascinating because it confirms that Brooks also knew, or certainly admired the work of Victor Dubreil. "Nelborgen" is a fictional name that was used by Dubreil in his well known oils The Eye of the Artist (Butler Institute of American Art) and Safe Money (Corcoran Gallery of Art).

We are grateful to Dr. Bruce Chambers for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry. A letter from Dr. Chambers accompanies the lot.