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50 Francs Saint-Louis
| Issuer | Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale |
|---|---|
| Year | 1905-1916 |
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| Currency | Franc (1895-1944) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DE L'AFRIQUE OCCIDENTALE CINQUANTE FRANCS PAYABLES EN ESPÈCES, A VUE, AU PORTEUR SAINT-LOUIS h.Bellery Desfontaines del. ERNEST ET FRÉDÉRIC FLORIAN SC. |
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| Reverse lettering | بانك دو لافريك الغربي Georges DUVAL . fecit. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale was established in 1901 with exclusive note-issuing rights across French West Africa, a mandate that made this series the primary circulating paper across an enormous and economically diverse colonial territory. Having the Banque de France handle production was a deliberate political signal — these were not colonial scrip but instruments meant to carry metropolitan authority into Dakar, Saint-Louis, and beyond.
Bellery-Desfontaines was primarily a poster artist and illustrator, an unusual choice for currency design. The Florian brothers — Frédéric and Ernest-Théophile — were established Banque de France engravers, their involvement guaranteeing the intaglio quality that distinguished this issue from cheaper colonial printings of the period.
Saint-Louis, Senegal was the administrative capital of French West Africa until 1902, when Dakar took over — meaning the note's name referenced a city that had already lost its primacy before most of these notes were printed.