Intaglio: Making money and good parenting

Intaglio (/ɪnˈtæli.oʊ/ in-TAL-ee-oh; Italian: [inˈtaʎʎo]) is the family of printing and printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface and the incised line or sunken area holds the ink. It is the direct opposite of a relief print.

Our twins like money, so recently we toured the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Ft. Worth, Texas, which is one of two places in the US where US paper currency is made (Washington, DC is the other).  One of BEP’s taglines is “YES, the buck starts here!”  It was a self-guided tour, complete with personal listening wands, and was a destination of great interest due to a counterfeit $20 we obliviously ended up with after a stop at a shady convenience store earlier this year.  We were mesmerized by the intricate process involved in making money and after the tour we unanimously agreed with one of the engravers who said that every dollar or “note” truly is a masterpiece. 

Throughout the ten viewing spots along the tour we saw the unique cotton/linen blend paper made exclusively by the Crane Paper Company, extreme security measures to prevent counterfeiting (note to self, always check for the watermarks and ribbon), and highly specialized craftsmen, machines, and computers.  We learned about the different images that have appeared on various bills throughout history (remember that ominous eye above the pyramid?) and saw millions of dollars being bundled and made ready for delivery to a Federal Reserve Bank.  All in less than 2 hours, including a stop at the gift shop where the twins paid hard earned cash for fidget spinners designed like a $100.   

The tour of the BEP left two impressions are me – what skill feels like and how intaglio is like parenting.  Each of the artists and employees who spoke about their work had an obvious sense of awe about their skill.  It was inspirational to hear them talk about their contribution to the process of making US paper currency, which one of them called the highest level of work for an engraver.  They were loyal to America but it was more than that, they were proud that they were part of this distinguished, highly accurate (98% of the notes make it to usable bills) national process. They are extraordinarily good, and they knew it, but were refreshingly humble, even grateful, about it.  That must be what true skill feels like. 

The second impression was the intaglio technique and how it is like the kind of parenting I want to do. The precision, the hours of intense etching of the image that was determined before the first line is embedded in the metal plate.  The hours of nickel “growing” on the sheet, then the rough edges chipped off with a scalpel-type tool.  The intense pressure that allows the ink to be applied to the paper.  Each step being so intentional and so permanent.  There are multiple stops during the intaglio process there the notes that are “under construction” are compared to perfect notes at that stage to insure they are on the right track.  I equally marvel at times how intensive good parenting is, how much work is involved. There is not a second that I am not a parent to our twins.  Everything I do will leave a mark on them…what Deuteronomy 6 calls to “impress” or “engrave”…as we walk and talk and sit and rise…I must be intentional. Sure they have their own quirks, preferences, gifts…but let’s be honest, I as their parent am leaving permanent etches on them, the most permanent.  But just like in the intaglio process, I know that there are these other layers, others who are influencing them, chiseling, pressuring, as well.  Friends, teachers, church, media, books – and while I can’t control much of these, I can be present.  I can be supportive.  I can be deliberate as a parent.

Since our visit to the BEP I have looked about my money a bit differently, with more appreciation for the craftsmanship and what the symbols represent.  I have also thought about my parenting -what I etching on our twins every hour of every day in the way I talk to the grocery cashier, drive in rush hour traffic, sing along with the radio, hang out at home, serve on Sunday mornings, or spend money? Perhaps you could take a road trip to the Ft. Worth Bureau of Engraving and Printing soon for your own inspiration – by the way, the tours are free!