Photography by Edward C. Robison III.
Small Change
Currency was a popular subject of tromp l’oeil (“to fool the eye”) paintings because it lent itself to fooling the viewer. John Haberle rendered bills and coins so convincingly, the United States Secret Service suspected him of counterfeiting money and ordered him to stop producing these paintings.
ArtistJohn Haberle, 1856–1933
Date1887
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions15 1/2 x 13 1/8 x 1 5/8 in.
Signedu.r.: J. Haberle. 1887. / New Haven.CT
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2010.91
ClassificationPainting
ProvenanceThomas George Shaughnessy [1853-1923], Montreal, Canada, until 1923; by descent in the family until 2005; (Thomas Colville Fine Art, New Haven, CT); purchased by a private foundation for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2005
On ViewYes
This artwork's face covers about 28× the area of a tennis ball.Drawn to the same scale.