50 Pesos

El Banco de la República was one of several private Colombian banks issuing notes in the early twentieth century — this institution not to be confused with the later central bank of the same name established in 1923. The 1907 series was printed by Waterlow and Sons in London, a firm that handled a significant share of Latin American banknote contracts during this period, competing closely with Bradbury Wilkinson for the same regional clients.

Colombia's monetary situation in 1907 was still recovering from the catastrophic paper inflation of the Thousand Days War (1899–1902), during which the government had printed currency so aggressively that exchange rates became effectively meaningless. Private bank notes re-entering circulation so soon after that episode faced genuine public skepticism.