Bidspirit auction | General Butler Iron Bank

General Butler Iron Bank - J. & E. Stevens Company. Cromwell, Ct. - 1880's - 6 1/2” T. Why is a man depicted as a human head on a frog's body? This mystery is best answered by investigating the historical persona portrayed in the bank. He is Union Army General Benjamin Butler, who was implicated in the greenback currency scandal that spuriously implied it could help finance the war effort. Since frogs have green backs, this was a perfect form of political satire.