25 Francs Saint-Louis

The Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale was the sole bank of issue for French West Africa, and its wartime notes were produced under genuine pressure — by 1917, paper shortages and the demands of the Western Front had already disrupted French printing schedules significantly. That this series was completed at all, to the standard of the Banque de France's own ateliers, reflects how seriously colonial monetary stability was treated in Paris during the war years.

Bellery-Desfontaines was primarily an illustrator and poster artist, not a conventional banknote designer — an unusual choice. The Florian brothers handled engraving on several BAO issues of this period.