Ontwerp voor bankbiljet van 25 gulden 1912

This is Antoon Derkinderen’s ‘Design for a 25 Gulden Banknote,’ from around 1912. The design reflects the Netherlands’ efforts to establish a national identity through its currency during a period of significant social and economic change. The banknote features a classical figure, possibly representing Mercury, god of commerce and trade. He stands assertively in a landscape, a symbol that would resonate with the Dutch aspirations for global economic power. This figure, rendered with a deliberate sense of idealized strength, is also decidedly male, which reflects the gendered dimensions of labor and value circulating in the Netherlands at the time. The artist employs intricate details and symbolism, aiming to evoke trust and stability. Yet, these very symbols can remind us of the exclusionary practices inherent in constructing a national financial identity, and questions about who is valued, and who is rendered invisible.