Object Status:
Unlocated
Accession Date:
February 23, 1809
Primary Source Reference:
Peale Museum Accessions Book, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, p. 40
Additional Source Text:
Poulson's American Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia), 23 Aug 1809 adds name of donor.
Notes:
Treasury Department records indicate that the actual creator of its seal probably was Francis Hopkinson, who is known to have submitted bills to the Congress in 1780 authorizing design of departmental seals, including one for the Board of Treasury. For nearly two hundred years, the Seal bore the Latin inscription, "Thesaur. Amer. Septent. Sigil." which translates "The Seal of the Treasury of North America." This inscription was changed on the present design to read "The Department of the Treasury." Another change to the seal was the addition of the date "1789" to record the year the Department was created. The Seal shows its arms depicting balancing scales (to represent justice), a key (the emblem of official authority) and a chevron with thirteen stars (to represent the original states) / https://www.treasury.gov/about/history/pages/treas-seal.aspx
