Centennial of the Bank of France, 1800-1900 [obverse] 1900

Louis-Oscar Roty created this bronze medal to commemorate the centennial of the Bank of France. The bank was founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800. Here we see a woman wearing a helmet, but this isn’t just any woman—it's an allegorical figure, a common visual strategy in late 19th century France, that embodies the nation's values. The choice to depict France as a woman speaks to the gendered constructs of power at the time; nations were often feminized. It’s worth asking, however, who gets to be the face of a nation? What does it mean to have the state, and its financial institutions, represented by this figure? Consider the historical context: France was in the midst of solidifying its national identity after the upheavals of revolution and empire. The Bank of France was central to this process, tasked with stabilizing the nation's economy. So, in many ways, this medal is about solidifying confidence in the state. It’s a reminder of how financial institutions use symbols to shape our perceptions of stability, security, and national pride.