Beschreibung:

Five plates – sketches for Half Israeli Lira - banknote with the image of a Nahal (pioneer fighting youth)-woman soldier: 1. Two original illustrations, sketches for the NAHAL woman-soldier. Gouache on paper. • Illustration which was rejected in which the woman-soldier holds in her hand a sickle and a sheaf of wheat. Shamir Brothers Studio ink-stamp. 13X15 cm. • Illustration on which the final design was based, portraying the woman-soldier holding a basket with oranges, on the ground of fields. 16.5X15 cm. 2. Eleven preparatory photos for the figure of the woman-soldier. Two photos 11.5X15.5 cm and nine • photos 5.5X5.5 cm. 3. Design proposals (photos), of various stages of the banknote’s design. • Original design of Shamir Brothers which won the banknotes series design competition. On the obverse appears the figure of a farmer sowing seeds and on the reverse – a roaring lion on an ancient Hebrew seal found in Megiddo (image which also appeared on the final version of the banknotes – reverse of 5 Lira note). • Second design version, prepared according the advisory committee request, where the farmer’s figure was replaced by the woman-soldier. • Third draft of the obverse – approved by the committee. On the reverse appear signatures of committee members. Final draft for printing. In previous drafts the value was five hundred Pruta. Here the value was changed to Half a Lira. • A printed banknote in its final version. 4. Three photos of pencil-sketches – instructions for printers. The value was later changed to Half a Lira. One photo 13X17 cm, two photos: 11X19 cm. 5. Seven photos of drafts of the banknote’s reverse. Amongst them two photos of pencil-sketches. In all, except for one, appears the roaring lion (of the Megiddo seal). 7X13 cm to 18X11.5 cm. “The original decision was that the four figures would be male. Once the proposal of the Shamir Brothers was approved, committee members realized that there was no representation of women nor the army among the figures symbolizing the national ethos. The solution was intended to ‘kill two birds with one stone’: The theme of agriculture was incorporated into that of the army through the Nahal, with the female figure providing a solution to the representation of women. In addition, the woman-soldier’s image on the note emphasized the status of the woman as an equal partner in the Zionist enterprise”. Overall good condition. Most sketches are detached from boards; glue marks. Labels printed in English are pasted to four boards, annotating the sketches.