Description and research notes
Large-format essay face proof for a proposed 100 Cruzeiros design, mounted on card and attributed to the early Tesouro Nacional redesign period of the 1960s. This archival printer’s pull demonstrates the face layout considered for adoption under SCWPM 170b, with unfinished margins and unprinted color fields typical of pre-production material.
Essays such as this served as presentation pieces for government and bank approval before finalizing plate engravings. They capture the iterative design process where national symbolism, typographic hierarchy, and security motifs were tested for visual coherence and resistance to forgery.
Created amid Brazil’s shift toward a new Cruzeiro standard following inflationary adjustments and political transition, this proof embodies a period of modernization in both economic structure and banknote aesthetics. Surviving examples of such essays are seldom encountered outside institutional archives, and they provide critical insight into how mid-century design philosophy merged artistry with practicality in Brazil’s monetary evolution.