What a French currency exhibition tells us about notemaking

Did you know, notes issued by the Bank of Indochina were adorned with Asian motifs? The notes issued in Pondicherry (now Puducherry), erstwhile capital of French-occupied territory in India, bore Tamil script that translates to Puduvai (Pondicherry), fifty rupai (fifty rupees). It also uses the symbol for rupees.  Not just that. A 1936-issued note features ornamental borders with a portrait of Governor Joseph Francois Dupleix, with a Greek goddess in the circle. Interestingly, the watermark has a Chinese farmer. The note bore omnibus designs, that is, the same design in different regions, especially across Southeast Asia. That sheds light on the Chinese farmer embedded in the watermark.

These kernels of knowledge were gleaned from an exhibition that spotlighted banknotes from the former French territories. The French banknote design exhibition called Beyond Face Value was curated by Rukmini Dahanukar, founder-partner at the brand identity design firm Nirmiti. Her aim, to celebrate currency art and the science of notemaking. The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in Mumbai hosted the exhibition, in collaboration with Alliance Francaise de Bombay and Avid Learning. The exhibition showcased the artistry and innovation behind some of France’s most iconic pre-Euro currency.

Banknotes, according to the exhibition, are about 350-odd years old, but more recent developments in printing technology enable the transfer of intricate engravings from a steel plate to a rolling press, allowing for the mass production of detailed banknotes.  Additionally, the deployment of geometric lathes, or guilloche machines, allows for the creation of complex, interlacing patterns that are both aesthetically pleasing and difficult to replicate, making the banknote a perfect example of design-form (art) and function (security).

French banknotes have long been celebrated for their sophisticated printing techniques. Institutions like the Banque de France employed methods such as intaglio printing, which involves engraving images onto metal plates to produce raised prints with rich textures. This technique enhances the tactile quality of the notes and serves as a deterrent against counterfeiting. Watermark windows are one of the unique features of French banknotes, along with banknotes that have stories and front and back mirroring, a particularly tough method to achieve, considering the limitations of technology in the pre-digital era.

The highlight of the exhibition was the 500 Franc note featuring Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie, introduced in 1994. Designed by Swiss artist Roger Pfund, this banknote is a fusion of art and security features that were considered way ahead of their time. They bore design elements signifying their contributions to the world of physics. Security features on this note include elements such as microtext, colour-shifting inks, and optically variable inks (OVI). OVI, in particular, displays different colors when viewed from various angles, making counterfeiting exceedingly difficult.

Additionally, the note includes a watermark of Marie Curie’s portrait and a security thread embedded within the paper. The choice of the colour palette is a martian green, extremely hard to replicate, an embedded security feature. Another striking example is the 5,000 Franc note from 1947, which features Marianne  (a symbol of the French Republic) accompanied by three men looking northwest towards France, symbolising colonial ties and aspirations.

Completely ignored for their non-economic contribution, Dahanukar is writing a book on the untold story of banknote design. The history of the paper, print, and modern polymer technology, along with the cultural themes across nations and time. What started as her postgraduate dissertation twenty years ago has metamorphosed into her passion project with talks, exhibitions, and her upcoming book on this overlooked subject.