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100 Francs
| Issuer | Bank of Algeria - French Administration |
|---|---|
| Year | 1907-1919 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Two allegorical male figures — a young man at left and a spear-bearing warrior at right — flank the central vignette in intaglio engraving typical of the Cabasson school. The central text panel carries the denomination CENT FRANCS and the clause PAYABLES A VUE, AU PORTEUR in bold letterpress, with bilingual Arabic legends above the signature lines. At the bottom centre, a classical female head vignette is framed within a guilloche oval, with the engravers' credits GA-CABASSON INV. ET DEL. and CH. WULLSCHLEGER SC. inscribed in the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is executed entirely in intaglio and presents a symmetrical allegorical composition: a male figure at left and a helmeted female warrior at right, both standing beside coiling dragon or sea-serpent motifs at their feet. A large circular guilloche medallion at centre contains a classical female portrait bust in profile, surrounded by the denomination numerals 100 at either side. A crescent and star device appears at the top centre, with radiating sunburst ornaments above each figure, and a cartouche at the bottom carrying the anti-counterfeiting penal warning. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Algérie operated under French administrative authority but was not a branch of the Banque de France — it held a separate charter, first granted in 1851, giving it the right of note issue in Algeria as a colonial institution. This 100 Francs series nonetheless relied entirely on Banque de France production facilities in Paris, an arrangement that reflected both the colony's limited infrastructure and metropolitan France's tight grip on currency production in its territories.
Wullschleger's engraving work was among the more technically accomplished of the period. Harang, who exhibited under the name Cabasson, was primarily a painter and illustrator — his involvement points to a design process that separated artistic conception from plate execution, common for prestige colonial issues of this era.