Check: Blank check for P. T. Barnum's account in the Bridgeport Bank, 1849
Document
Bridgeport Bank (created by)
1849 (Date manufactured/created)
Paper Documentary Artifact
2.5 in H
X
7.25 in W
Blank check for P. T. Barnum's account in the Bridgeport Bank, dating from 1849. It appears to have been cut from a book of checks. It features an image of Barnum's first mansion in Bridgeport, called Iranistan. The home was described as an "oriental villa," designed in the Moorish Revival style, and was completed in 1848. Underneath the image, the bank's name is printed in an Old English style of lettering. On the left hand side of the check the name “Phineas T. Barnum” is printed vertically in Old English style lettering, and is framed with an elaborately scrolled border.
The check includes places for the check number and for the date, ending in 1849, and lines for the name of the payee and the dollar amount, to be written in longhand. Near the bottom left, there is a box where the dollar amount written was to be written numerically. Notably, there is a space where the account holder could sign at the bottom right, but no line to indicate such. The printer's name is along the lower left edge, "Strong, NY." Overall the proportion and format are not too different from present day checks. Though the printed embellishments Barnum chose are more elaborate than the options for customized checks today, the same idea of personalizing one's checks persists.
The Bridgeport Bank was one of the earliest banks in the state of Connecticut, established in 1806. In the 1830s the bank became deeply involved in western lands speculation. Its stock lost half its value as a result of the Panic of 1837, a financial crisis that resulted in a six-year recession. In the 1840s, the Bridgeport Bank was finally able to pay dividends again. Just three years after the date of this check, in 1851, P. T. Barnum and eight other Directors established the Pequonnock Bank, and Barnum served as its first President.
The check includes places for the check number and for the date, ending in 1849, and lines for the name of the payee and the dollar amount, to be written in longhand. Near the bottom left, there is a box where the dollar amount written was to be written numerically. Notably, there is a space where the account holder could sign at the bottom right, but no line to indicate such. The printer's name is along the lower left edge, "Strong, NY." Overall the proportion and format are not too different from present day checks. Though the printed embellishments Barnum chose are more elaborate than the options for customized checks today, the same idea of personalizing one's checks persists.
The Bridgeport Bank was one of the earliest banks in the state of Connecticut, established in 1806. In the 1830s the bank became deeply involved in western lands speculation. Its stock lost half its value as a result of the Panic of 1837, a financial crisis that resulted in a six-year recession. In the 1840s, the Bridgeport Bank was finally able to pay dividends again. Just three years after the date of this check, in 1851, P. T. Barnum and eight other Directors established the Pequonnock Bank, and Barnum served as its first President.
A Gift of the Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, Connecticut
2003.009.071