Money Talks - Gendered Economics-Feminist Iconography on Currency

As artefacts of culture, currency signifies more than merely a token of payment. Its designs convey prestige and authority; alongwith communicating information and representation of the popular. Humans are the most recurring theme; thereby making currency imagery one of the most blatant, widely advertised confluences of politics, power, culture and gender.

Money, ancient and modern, has found its roots in political ideologies from the Greeks and Romans to the post-colonial modern world. A brazen example of authority and position is communicated on this 1,000-French Franc specimen note issued for colonial West Africa, printed in 1945. The note bears a bare African mother and child embraced by Marianne, the personification of France, wearing a laurel crown exemplifying the French state as a “parental” guardian of its subjects.

The power and impact of this artwork resonates female representation in a traditionally male world. Yet, the opposing positions of women, the African woman being submissive with her head bowed down whilst the French lady assertive, chin-up and holding her arms around the couple paradoxically reflect a sense of acceptance, protectiveness and authority; is eye-opening and illuminates the representations of colonial history. 

Although the newer issues of notes do replace women with other women and men in more egalitarian roles but yet not equally represented in modal occurrence. This medium of popular culture has somehow gone unnoticed in its significant and subliminal yet brash presence; being primarily charmed by economic authors. However the circulation, impact and influence cannot be underestimated in its contribution to political, historical and cultural contexts.

Using semiotics from the visual communications literature, this paper showcases the consistencies, disparities, regularities, absurdities, ludicrousness and sensitivity of gender representation on currency and aims to contribute uniquely to the illustration and interpretation of feminist and gender representation in popular media.