Throughout the 19th century, children were given rewards of merit for high achievement or good behavior in school. The rewards ranged from the very simple to the large and colorful. The example here was printed by a New York engraver, Benjamin Stradley, who issued similar rewards from around 1870, until sometime after 1878. This reward is patterned after bank notes of the day. Stradley printed a number of other “stock certificates” from the fictional “National Bank of Merit,” in various denominations. This particular form of reward came at a time when the New York stock market was growing in size and influence. Periodic panics and crashes in the 1880s, though, would later reduce the bank’s credibility. Flagg was awarded four shares in the “National Bank of Merit” by her teacher, M.L. Davenport.
Davenport, M. L. National Bank of Merit. ca. 1875. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l01-096/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.