Siderography is a mechanical process developed by Jacob Perkins in the early 1800s enabling the unlimited reproduction of engraved steel plates.[1] Counterfeiting had become an important issue in Europe in the late 1700s and early 1800s, primarily because the banknotes were produced with no standardized process or design, using readily available technology and techniques familiar to over 10,000 copper engravers.[8] Perkins moved to England in 1818, and made preparations for equipment, machinery, and his workmen to follow him.[8] He submitted his proposal for the use of siderography in banknote production, but the idea was not well received by the Bank of England.[10][11] It had three local chapters: the Washington office had jurisdiction for membership in that city, and all members outside the United States excluding Canada and Great Britain; the New York office had jurisdiction for all members in the United States excluding Washington, D.C.; and the Ottawa office had jurisdiction for all members in Canada and Great Britain.
Two devotional pictures : Saint Vincent de Paul (French make, 1860) and Aloysius Gonzaga (Turin, 1860); two mechanically punched siderographies
