500 Francs Porto-Novo

The Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale was a private commercial bank chartered under French law, not a central bank — its right to issue currency in French West Africa was a concession that generated considerable political friction throughout the interwar period. Porto-Novo designates the place of payment, not the print shop; the plates were produced by the Banque de France in its Chamalières facility, which handled colonial note production as a separate commercial contract.

Bellery-Desfontaines was primarily a poster artist and illustrator, better known for his Belle Époque theatrical work than for banknote design. The engraving fell to the Florian brothers, Frédéric and Ernest-Théophile, who between them handled a significant portion of BAO plate work in the early 1920s.

The P#13E suffix indicates a distinct signature combination within the 1924 series — signature pairings on BAO notes changed frequently as bank directorship turned over.