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100 Francs - La Bourdonnais
| Issuer | Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outre-Mer |
|---|---|
| Year | 1947-1949 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 164 × 88 mm |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio portrait of Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais in period dress and powdered wig occupies the left portion, with a vignette of a coastal seascape and ship in the centre background. To the right, a two-figure allegorical group of a woman holding tropical fruit and a standing male figure is rendered in fine engraving, flanked by the denomination numeral '100' at each upper corner. The issuing authority 'CAISSE CENTRALE DE LA FRANCE D'OUTRE-MER' and denomination 'CENT FRANCS' are printed in red, with 'MARTINIQUE' repeated vertically in red on both lateral margins and at the foot of the note. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The right side of the reverse is dominated by an intaglio vignette of a classical female bust in profile, draped in red, wearing an ornate earring, her gaze directed to the left. To her left, a detailed landscape vignette presents a mountainous tropical scene with a coastal bay, palm trees, and a village nestled at the foot of rugged peaks. The lower left corner contains a framed anti-counterfeiting legal warning text within a decorative cartouche, and the word 'MARTINIQUE' is printed in large red letters across the centre, with 'MARTINIQUE' repeated vertically on both lateral margins. |
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| Comments |
The Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outre-Mer was established in 1944 as the financial instrument of the Free French administration, issuing currency across a patchwork of colonial territories that each required their own overprints or distinct series. This 100 Francs note, printed at the Banque de France's own workshops in Paris, circulated across multiple territories depending on the controlling overprint — the same base design served Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and others, which complicates attribution of any given surviving example.
Armanelli and Régnier were both accomplished intaglio engravers on the Banque de France's permanent staff, and the quality of the work reflects that institutional standard rather than any commercial contract printer.