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Portraits of Value

For one century, Australia’s banknotes have included portraits by artists such as Guy Warren. While our most recent series, the Next Generation of Banknotes (issued 2016-2020), incorporates highly sophisticated technology in their design and security features, the portraits are still drawn by hand. In this video learn about the practice of Note Printing Australia’s designer and artist, Robert Cook, and explore the history of banknote portraiture.

References

  • Front of the £1 banknote, first issued in June 1923. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives NP-003585
  • Front of the £5 banknote, first issued in December 1933. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-003659.
  • Front of the £10 banknote, showing Arthur Phillip, with Swainsona coronillifolia alba (Darling pea), first issued in June 1954. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-003818.
  • Back of the $20 banknote showing Lawrence Hargrave; concept design by Gordon Andrews, first issued in February 1966. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-003928.
  • Back of the $50 banknote, showing Edith Cowan; concept design by Brian Sadgrove, first issued in October 1995. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, D18/73825.
  • The signature side of the $100 banknote; concept design by emerystudio, first issued in October 2020. Reserve Bank of Australia, D20/43205.
  • Photograph of King George, 1923. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington.
  • Miniature portrait of Mary Reibey by an unknown artist, watercolour on ivory, circa 1835. State Library of NSW.
  • Front of the 10 shillings banknote, first issued in July 1933. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-003638.
  • Front of the $20 banknote, showing Mary Reibey; concept design by Garry Emery, first issued in October 1994. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, D18/73808.
  • Photograph of Mervyn Napier Waller, 1930s, gelatin silver photograph. National Gallery of Victoria.
  • Back of the £1 banknote, showing Charles Sturt (left) and Hamilton Hume (right), with Hakea laurina, (Pin-cushion Hakea), first issued in October 1953. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-003794.
  • Photograph of William Leslie Bowles with his maquette of Sir John Monash’s statue, 1930s, photograph. Australian War Memorial.
  • Plaster cast of Queen Elizabeth II by William Leslie Bowles. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-003189.
  • Front of the £1 banknote, showing Queen Elizabeth II with Hakea laurina, (Pincushion Hakea), first issued in October 1953. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-003794.
  • Film of decimal currency banknotes. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, AV-000020.
  • Back of the $5 banknote, showing Caroline Chisholm; concept design by Gordon Andrews, first issued in May 1967. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-003885.
  • Portrait of Caroline Chisholm by Angelo Collen Hayter, oil on canvas, 1852. Dixson Galleries, State Library of NSW.
  • Keyline drawing of Caroline Chisholm for the $5 banknote, 1967, (reversed). Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-002562.
  • Guy Warren, preliminary portrait of John Macarthur for the $2 banknote, ink and wash, 1965. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-002827.
  • Guy Warren with his portrait of John Macarthur at The Decimal Revolution, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s 50th anniversary exhibition of the introduction of decimal currency, 2016. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, P16/5399.
  • Front of the $2 banknote showing John Macarthur; concept design by Gordon Andrews, first issued in February 1966. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-003855.
  • Front of the $20 banknote showing Sir Charles Kingsford Smith; concept design by Gordon Andrews, first issued in February 1966. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-003928.
  • Keyline drawing of the portrait of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-002052.
  • Television commercial advertising the New Note Series (NNS) of polymer banknotes, 1996.
  • Preliminary design by Max Robinson of the NNS $10 banknote. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-004223.
  • Preliminary design by Garry Emery of the NNS $20 banknote. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-002654.
  • Preliminary design by Brian Sadgrove of the NNS $50 banknote. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-004227.
  • Preliminary design by Bruce Stewart of the NNS $100 banknote. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, NP-004228.
  • The signature side of the $10 banknote; concept design by emerystudio, first issued in September 2017. Reserve Bank of Australia, D17/52177.
  • Tonal sketch of Banjo Paterson, together with an example of line analysis for intaglio printing, by Robert Cook of Note Printing Australia. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, 17/1078.
  • Robert Cook of Note Printing Australia working on a sketch for AB 'Banjo' Paterson’s portrait for the Next Generation of Banknotes $10 banknote. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, P16/21220.
  • Tonal sketch of Mary Reibey together with an example of line analysis for intaglio printing by Robert Cook of Note Printing Australia. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, 20/1271.
  • Note Printing Australia Designer working on a sketch for John Monash’s portrait for the Next Generation of Banknotes $100 banknote. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, D20/42706.
  • Footage of the design and production process for Australia’s new $20 banknote, released in 2020.
  • Design and production footage for Australia’s Next Generation of Banknotes (NGB), 2016.
  • Robert Cook of Note Printing Australia working on a sketch for AB 'Banjo' Paterson’s portrait for the Next Generation of Banknotes $10 banknote. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, D17/43600.
  • Note Printing Australia Designer working on a design for John Monash’s portrait for the Next Generation of Banknotes $100 banknote. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, D20/42707.
  • Tonal sketch of Queen Elizabeth II, together with an example of line analysis for intaglio printing by Robert Cook of Note Printing Australia. Reserve Bank of Australia Archives, 20/1274.