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100 Francs
| Issuer | Caisse Centrale de la France Libre |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 100 Francs |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Yellow-green note with a central intaglio vignette of an allegorical still-life group composed of agricultural and commercial goods — barrels, wheat sheaves, and produce — surrounded by elaborate calligraphic scrollwork. The issuer's title is repeated in bold letterpress at the top, with the ordinance date 'ORD. DU 2 DEC 1941' inscribed below it. The denomination '100' appears in large numerals at the lower left and right corners, and a cautionary legal penalty text in italic script occupies a cartouche at the lower centre. |
| Reverse lettering | CAISSE CENTRALE DE LA FRANCE LIBRE ORD. DU 2 DEC 1941 L'ARTICLE 139 DU CODE PÉNAL PUNIT DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS CEUX QUI AURONT CONTREFAIT OU FALSIFIÉ LES BILLETS DE BANQUE AUTORISÉES PAR LA LOI AINSI QUE CEUX QUI AURONT FAIT USAGE DE CES BILLETS CONTREFAITS OU FALSIFIÉS. |
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| Comments |
The Caisse Centrale de la France Libre was established by de Gaulle's Free French administration in 1941 as a parallel monetary authority, intended to give the movement financial credibility independent of Vichy-controlled institutions. This 100 Francs was among the first notes issued under it — printed in London at a moment when the Free French controlled almost no actual French territory.
Edmund Dulac, the Franco-British illustrator best known for his book illustrations, was an unusual choice for currency work. Bradbury Wilkinson had engravers of their own, but Dulac's involvement gave the series a distinctive character that set it apart from conventional wartime emergency issues.
The series later circulated in liberated French colonial territories before metropolitan France was recovered.