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... Show moreBlank 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. Show less