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Fifty-cent fractional-currency banknote depicting Spinner
Fifty-cent fractional-currency banknote depicting Spinner

Fractional currency, also referred to as shinplasters, was introduced by the United States federal government following the outbreak of the Civil War. These low-denomination banknotes of the United States dollar were in use between 21 August 1862 and 15 February 1876, and issued in denominations of 3, 5, 10, 15, 25, and 50 cents across five issuing periods. The complete type set is part of the National Numismatic Collection, housed at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. The design of the first issue (postage currency) was directly based on the original handmade examples of United States treasurer Francis E. Spinner (pictured on banknote). Some varieties even had a perforated stamp-like edge. While not considered a legal tender, postage currency could be exchanged for United States Notes in five-dollar lots and were receivable in payment of all dues to the United States, up to five dollars. (Full list...)

Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary

Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary, also known as Lo Spasimo or Il Spasimo di Sicilia, is an oil painting by the Italian High Renaissance painter Raphael, originally painted on panel around 1514 to 1516 but later transferred to canvas in the 19th century. It depicts Christ carrying the cross to his crucifixion, specifically the moment when he falls and his mother Mary suffers a spasm of agony, known as the Swoon of the Virgin. The painting's emotion is densely crammed into the foreground, and the background is similar to that of a stage set with distant groups of people and crosses. The work was commissioned by the Sicilian monastery of Santa Maria dello Spasimo in Palermo and now hangs in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Painting credit: Raphael

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