Description and research notes
A monumental large-format photographic proof pair for the 1939 1,000 Pesos issue, produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay. The highest denomination of Uruguay’s unified 1939 series, this proof pair was printed on heavyweight photographic paper and mounted on archival card for presentation and reference purposes within ABNC and government archives.
The obverse displays José Gervasio Artigas in dignified profile within an intricate guilloche frame, framed by classical architecture and the national arms below. The reverse presents an allegory of Commerce and Agriculture—Mercury and Ceres exchanging symbols of trade and prosperity—engraved with exceptional tonal depth and balance. Both sides demonstrate ABNC’s pinnacle engraving craftsmanship at the end of the inter-war period.
As the summit of Uruguay’s 1939 design program, this large-format proof pair embodies the Republic’s highest denomination and its most sophisticated engraving achievement—a fitting capstone to ABNC’s pre-war artistry.