Description and research notes
A photographic proof pair for the 5 Pesos issue dated 1896, produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay. Printed in black on photographic paper and mounted on cardstock, this pair records the approved face and back engravings prior to preparation of circulation plates.
The obverse features a formal portrait of José Gervasio Artigas set within an ornate late-nineteenth-century framework of scrollwork, floral ornament, and dense guilloche patterns. The denomination is integrated into a balanced cartouche arrangement emphasizing symmetry, legibility, and visual authority consistent with American Bank Note Company practice of the period.
The reverse depicts a monumental architectural façade framed by classical ornament, with the national arms incorporated into the composition. Fine cross-hatching and controlled tonal transitions convey depth and clarity across the broad pictorial field, reflecting late Victorian security engraving standards.
These photographic proofs were produced as archival records of the finalized engravings rather than as press trials or circulation material. Preserved as a complete face-and-back ensemble and previously mounted on cardstock, the pair documents the design language employed for Uruguay’s lower-denomination notes at the close of the nineteenth century.
Certified by Professional Coin Grading Service Currency as Choice New 63 for both face and back, this proof pair survives in exceptional condition and represents a rare institutional artifact of American Bank Note Company production for Uruguay during the 1890s.