The Citizens' Bank of Louisiana
Louisiana banknotes from prominent financial institutions circulated far and wide during the antebellum period. Chartered in 1833, the Citizens' Bank of Louisiana was the largest financial institution of its kind with an initial capitalization of $12 million, second only in the nation to the Second Bank of the United States. Ten-dollar notes from the Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana, their red backs printed with the French “dix” (“ten”), were familiarly known as “dixie” notes, leading to the belief that the term “Dixieland” derives from these Louisiana banknotes. This popular origin story has made “dixie” notes desirable among collectors and spurred numerous modern reproductions.
Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana at New Orleans ten-dollar note
April 23, 1860; engraving
by National Bank Note Company, printer
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1974.15.13 (detail)
Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana at New Orleans ten-dollar note (reverse)
April 23, 1860; engraving
by National Bank Note Company, printer
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1974.15.13 (detail)
Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana at New Orleans twenty-dollar note
between 1847 and 1858; engraving
by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson, printer (New Orleans)
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1989.95.18
Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana at New Orleans one-hundred-dollar note
between 1847 and 1858; engraving
by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson, printer (New Orleans)
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1989.95.19
Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana at New Orleans five-dollar note
between 1847 and 1858; engraving
by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson, printer (New Orleans)
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1989.95.21
Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana at New Orleans one-thousand-dollar note
ca. 1840; engraving
by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson, printer (New Orleans)
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1970.19.20
Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana at New Orleans five-dollar note printing plate (obverse)
ca. 1858; steel
by Keim and Yeager, manufacturer (Philadelphia)
The Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of Lee H. Schlesinger, 1998.7.6
Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana at New Orleans uncut sheet of five-dollar notes
ca. 1858; engraving
by American Bank Note Company, printer
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1974.15.6
Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana at New Orleans one-hundred-dollar note (reverse)
June 30, 1857; engraving
by American Bank Note Company, printer (New Orleans)
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1989.95.20