The celebration of Mother’s Day started in 1907. Anna Jarvis founded Mother’s Day to honor her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, who cared for wounded soldiers. Anna campaigned to make it a recognized holiday, inspired by her mother and suffragette Julia Ward Howe’s calls for a “Mother’s Day For Peace.” The holiday was officially recognized 40 years later, but Anna’s aim was to honor all mothers, whom she believed were the most important people in the world, recognizing their sacrifices and contributions to society.
Mother’s Day Banknotes
The obverse of the 1,000 Italian lira banknote from 1990 depicts Maria Montessori, an educator who gave birth to the Montessori system. Montessori education prioritizes hands-on learning and independence and encourages children’s natural curiosity. The reverse shows children. Maria Montessori, along with an electrotype Bank of Italy monogram, is also depicted on the banknote’s watermark area.
The 2019 Georgia 10 Lari Banknote features David Kakabadze’s painting “Imereti” (My Mother, 1918) on its reverse. The artwork illustrates a spinning woman. The banknote’s obverse displays a portrait of Akaki Tsereteli and apple tree blossoms.
The front design of the North Macedonia 1,000 Denari is a depiction of Madonna Episkepsis and the Christ child from the 14th-century church of Saint Vrachi-Mali in Ohrid. Painted by Duccio di Buoninsegna, the iconic Madonna and Child is popular throughout the history of Western and displays stylistic innovations of religious subject matter. The reverse of the banknote from 2022 shows Arches from the Saint Sophia church in Ohrid.
The reverse of the Scotland 20-pound banknote depicts a portrait of Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth the Queen Mother served the Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and was the last empress of India. The obverse displays a portrait of Lord Ilay. The Scotland 20-pound banknote was issued in 2000 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday on August 4, 2000.
Shin Saimdang, whose portrait appears on the obverse of the 2009 South Korea 50,000 won banknote, was a mother of seven children and a model of extraordinary mothering skills. She was a painter, an author, and the mother of a famed Confucian scholar. Shin Saimdang has been nicknamed a “wise mother”. The banknote’s reverse displays a poongjukdo painting of a bamboo tree. It is also graced with a Wolmaedo painting of a Japanese apricot tree.
The front of the 2014 Mexico 100 peso banknote honors Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz who is referred to as the Founding Mother of Mexican literature.” Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was a nun and playwright. The reverse depicts the baptismal font of the church of San Vicente Ferrer in Chimalhuacan.
