La Semeuse

[1][2][3][4] The obverse of this type represents a barefoot woman walking through a plain, dressed in a flowing gown and apron; wearing a Phrygian cap, she carries a large sack in one hand and sows with the other, while the sun rises on the horizon and the wind blows; facing to the left, she seems to be sowing against the wind.

It was on the initiative of the Minister of Finance Paul Doumer that Oscar Roty, a renowned artist of the time, was selected in late November 1895 to design a new symbol of the Republic for silver coins.

[7] To address this shortage of coins, local authorities, chambers of commerce, merchants, etc., issued emergency currency.

[8] The franc had suffered devaluations since 1931, and by 1958 its value had dropped to very low levels; for about fifteen years, it had been an aluminum coin.

Thus, Oscar Roty’s work has spanned the 20th century, continuing to be a strong symbol of the French Republic; especially as the Semeuse also appeared on numerous series of postage stamps from 1903 to 1941.