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20 Dollars Citizens' Bank of Louisiana, Shreveport, Bilingual
| Issuer | Citizens' Bank of Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Year | 1857-1899 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Dollars (20 USD) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black and green, with a central intaglio portrait vignette of an unidentified gentleman in formal attire set within an ornate guilloche medallion. To the left, a figure of a young man holding a flag rests against a barrel, while to the right a classical female allegory stands beside a cornucopia and bales of goods. Two large green lathe-work counter medallions bearing the roman numeral 'XX' flank the portrait, with the bank title arched in bold serif lettering across the upper field. Signature lines for Cashier and President appear at the bottom, with the imprint of the American Bank Note Company centred below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in orange-red on a pale ground, centred on a large oval guilloche framework enclosing an oversized interlaced 'XX' monogram above the denomination numerals '20' in counter circles at each lower corner. The French bank name curves in bold letters along the upper arc of the oval, with 'DE LA LOUISIANE' and 'NOUVELLE ORLEANS' inscribed across the centre field. Decorative lace-pattern borders with rosette and star ornaments frame the entire reverse. |
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| Comments |
The Citizens' Bank of Louisiana was chartered in 1833 as a mortgage-backed institution — planters pledged land and enslaved people as collateral in exchange for capitalization. That origin shaped the bank's entire geography: New Orleans was the operational center, but Shreveport branches served the cotton economy of the Red River valley, where this note circulated. The bilingual French-English text reflects Louisiana's legal and commercial bilingualism, a practical necessity well into the late nineteenth century, not an affectation.
The American Bank Note Company printed the series following the 1858 consolidation of several competing security printers into that firm. The Citizens' Bank survived the Civil War in compromised form, limping through Reconstruction before finally closing.