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20 Francs
| Issuer | Banque de l'Indochine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Multicolour reverse engraved by Marguerite Dreyfus (Rita) after Roque's design, centred on a full-bodied peacock perched on a gnarled rocky outcrop amid flowering branches. Several swallowtail butterflies are scattered across the composition — one at upper left among the foliage, one at lower left, and two at right flanking the denomination panel — all set against a geometric lattice underprint in pale yellow. The large numeral "20" and abbreviation "FR" in deep blue occupy a framed cartouche at centre-right, with a scroll bearing the penal code warning inscription at lower right. |
| Reverse lettering | NOUMEA 20 FR L'ARTICLE 139 DU CODE PÉNAL PUNIT DES TRAVAUX FORCÉS CEUX QUI AURONT CONTREFAIT OU FALSIFIÉ LES BILLETS DE BANQUES AUTORISÉES PAR LA LOI. ROQUE FEC. RITA SC. (Translation: Noumea 20 Fr Article 139 of the Penal Code punishes with forced labor those who have counterfeited or falsified banknotes authorized by law.) |
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| Comments |
By 1941, Banque de France was printing currency for French Indochina under Vichy-era administrative arrangements, with the colony nominally under French control despite Japanese military occupation. This note was engraved by Ernest Deloche on the obverse and Marguerite Dreyfus — known professionally as Rita — on the reverse, the latter being one of the few women to hold a senior engraving position at the Banque de France during that period.
The Clément Serveau design credit on the obverse links this issue to a broader interwar series aesthetic he developed for French colonial notes through the 1930s and into the occupation years.