500 Francs

The Banque de la Martinique was not a central bank in any modern sense — it was one of several colonial privilege banks established under French law, with note-issuing rights tied directly to its founding charter. This 500 Francs note was produced by the Banque de France's printing workshops, which handled colonial currency production for several French overseas territories during this period. The engraving credits are worth attention: Marguerite Dreyfus, who signed her work as "Rita," was among the relatively few women working as intaglio engravers at the Banque de France atelier during the interwar decades.

Martinique's wartime monetary situation complicated matters considerably — after the fall of France in 1940, the island fell under Vichy administration until mid-1943, creating a period of economic isolation that affected the note stock in circulation.