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An old-style currency note from the City of New Orleans, valued at one dollar. It features images of two ships, elaborate designs, and portraits of women. The note is dated January 1, 1863, with decorative borders and numerals 49 120.

Financing Progress

Money, Money, Money!
Money and Why There Was Never Enough
Banking in the Antebellum South
Banking and the Civil War
Greenback Revolution

Financing Progress: Canals, Hotels, Railroads, and Public Infrastructure

Louisiana chartered three different types of banks in the antebellum period: commercial banks that serviced merchants, factors, and manufacturers; property banks that dealt in land and slave mortgages; and improvement banks. This last category included the Canal and Banking Company (1831), New Orleans Gas Light and Banking Company (1835), Exchange and Banking Company (1835), Carrollton Railroad and Banking Company (1835), Atchafalaya Railroad and Banking Company (1836), and New Orleans Improvement and Banking Company (1836). Each improvement bank’s charter required that it fund a variety of public improvements ranging from the construction of canals, railroads, and even hotels, to the creation and maintenance of gas streetlights in towns throughout the state.

Architectural blueprint showing the elevation and sections of a two-story building. Includes detailed floor plans with labeled rooms such as dining room, kitchen, and bedrooms. Handwritten notes are present on aged paper.
Architectural drawing for New Orleans Gas Light and Banking Company, 400 block of S. Robertson Street, between 1835 and 1849, ink and watercolor by James Gallier. HNOC, 1951.16.12 i-iv
An old five-dollar banknote from The Clinton and Port Hudson Rail Road Company, featuring a seated woman holding a staff and a shield. The note includes decorative engravings and handwritten script, with Louisiana prominently displayed.
Clinton and Port Hudson Rail Road Company five-dollar note, November 20, 1839, engraving by Draper, Toppan, Longacre, and Company (Philadelphia or New York). HNOC, 1970.19.8
An old $20 Canal Bank note with intricate designs. It features three allegorical figures at the center, cherubs with a shield, and a sailing ship. The denomination is displayed in all corners with TWENTY DOLLARS in the center.
Canal Bank twenty-dollar note, circa 1855, engraving by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson (New Orleans or New York). HNOC, 1989.95.13
An old Canal Bank ten-dollar banknote from New Orleans, featuring an eagle with open wings at the top center. Ornate designs frame the text, with the denomination 10 prominently displayed on both sides. The text is printed in black and red.
Canal Bank ten-dollar note, 1800s, engraving by National Bank Note Company. HNOC, gift of Boyd Cruise and Harold Schilke, 1959.161.3
A 19th-century portrait of a couple. A woman in a white dress stands with her arm on the shoulder of a seated man in a dark suit holding a book. They face the viewer against a neutral background. Framed in an ornate gold frame.
Edmond Jean Forstall and Désirée Forstall,1836, oil on canvas by Jean Joseph Vaudechamp. HNOC, gift of Olga and Yvonne Tremoulet, 2005.0345.3

Among the thousands of merchants who called antebellum New Orleans home, Edmond Jean Forstall was perhaps the most thoroughly connected not only to the local banking scene but also to transatlantic credit markets. Forstall, who at age twenty-four was appointed to the Louisiana State Bank’s board of directors, also served as board member, president, or booster for each of the city’s three property banks—Union, Citizens, and the Consolidated Association of the Planters of Louisiana. In addition, he worked a local agent for two European firms deeply invested in the cotton trade: Barring Brothers of London and Hope and Company of Amsterdam.

Antique ten-dollar banknote from the New Orleans Canal & Banking Company, featuring the image of a seated figure with a ship in the background. Two cameo profiles are depicted on either side, with decorative patterns and TEN text.
New Orleans Canal and Banking Company ten-dollar note, 1837 or 1838, engraving by Underwood, Bald, and Spencer. HNOC, 1989.95.17
An old New Orleans Canal & Banking Company twenty-dollar note featuring intricate designs, including a sailing ship and portraits. The text includes payment promises and specifies the Bank of America in New York and New Orleans locations.
New Orleans Canal and Banking Company twenty-dollar note, 1837 or 1838, engraving by Underwood, Bald, and Spencer. HNOC, 1989.95.16
An engraved printing plate featuring four identical designs, possibly for an old currency note. Each section displays intricate illustrations including a seated figure and a circular emblem. The plate is metallic with visible etchings.
Canal Bank one-hundred-dollar note printing plate (obverse), circa 1885. HNOC, gift of Lee H. Schlesinger, 1998.7.19
A sheet displaying four uncut $100 Canal Bank notes. Each note features a detailed engraving, the denomination 100 in the corners, and a central art scene, with intricate design elements throughout.
Canal Bank uncut sheet of one-hundred-dollar notes, circa 1885, engraving by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson (New Orleans or New York). HNOC, 1972.19.4
Chapter 7: US Mint in New Orleans