The decision to create the bill bearing the image of Bonaparte dates back to 1952 at a meeting of the General Council of the Banque de France in which it was decided to radically change the presentation of banknotes: the new series would no longer show allegorical figures but portraits of famous people.
Designed by Clément Serveau, the Bonaparte banknote is representative of the French banknote school : a style mimicking that of the old masters, framed by a white border, etc.
In order to prepare the changeover to the new franc (January 1960), as of 1958 banknotes displayed their future value in new francs. As of 1960, they only showed the value in the new currency unit.
