Hello everyone,  I’m Heather Arthurson and I am the wife of Brent Arthurson.  Those of you who know Brent, know that he lives, breathes, eats and sleeps banknotes.  After the Kadina Convention, I figured that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.  I chose the subject of Famous women on bank notes.  In this my first presentation I have chosen Catherine Flon Arcahaie, also referred to as Catherine Flon.

The Republic of Haiti occupies the western one third of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean sea between Puerto Rico and Cuba.  It was a former French colony.  Black Africans had been brought in to work the coffee and sugar plantations. and it became one of the richest colonies of the French empire.  Haiti declared Independence on January 1 1804 and was the first independent black republic.  Capital of Haiti is Port-au-Prince.

In 1988 Haiti issued a 10 Gourde bank note depicting a lady sewing together red and blue pieces of material.  The lady’s name is Catherine Flon Arcahaie.  Exactly who she is and what her significance is in Haiti goes back to 1802-03.

In 1802 a black man by the name of Jean-Jacques Dessalines became the leader of a revolution.  He was born a slave, served as an officer in the French army and later rose to become a commander in the revolt against the French.  He held a grudge against the French for the betrayal and subsequent death of the former leader of the revolution.  In November 1803 he and his troops defeated the French and he proclaimed himself Emperor of Haiti.  He was assassinated in 1806.

On May 1803, on the last day of Congress of Arcahaie, Dessalines took hold of the French flag and tore away the white piece from the centre.  He asked his goddaughter to sew together the remaining two pieces of the French Flag to create the first Haitian flag.  The name of his goddaughter was Catherine Flon.

One of the primary symbols of Haitian freedom is the Haitian flag created by Catherine Flon.  May 18 is now celebrated in Haiti as Haitian Flag Day.  The flag has become a source of pride and thus while Catherine Flon is often a forgotten figure in Haitian history, the significance of her creation is greatly remembered, as in the minds of Haitians she constructed more than just a patchwork of material but a commemoration of the struggles and of the heroes of Haitian history, one of whom was Dessalines.

An incident involving the Blue on Red flag occurred at the Berlin Olympics of 1936 when it was discovered that the flags of Liechtenstein and Haiti were identical.  Liechtenstein added a crown to distinguish between the two.

Today’s Imperial Flag of Haiti still has the same Blue on Red bands. The Haiti Coat of Arms has been added. 

The National Bank of the Republic of Haiti honoured Catherine Flon by placing a picture of her on a 10 Gourde bank note issued in 1988.  Catherine Flon is depicted seated at right, sewing together the pieces of the flag.  The reverse is green in colour with the coat of arms at centre.  The printer of this note in the American Bank Note Company

In 1999, the design of the 10 Gourde bank note was changed and Catherine Flon was pictured at centre.  The reverse is green with coat of arms at the centre and features a watermark of a palm tree.  The note was printed by Giesecke & Debrient.

The last 10 Gourde note depicting Catherine Flon was issued in 2000.  The note was similar to that of 1999, however, the reverse is more colourful, especially on the borders incorporating the red and blue theme.  It has ascending serial numbers and the letters BRH at right in various colour combinations on the face.  This note was printed by Thomas de la Rue

This presentation was very proudly brought to by Heather Arthurson IBNS Perth Chapter member.