On the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's death, the Bank of England has unveiled a new banknote featuring the beloved author.
The new notes, made of polymer, will be entering circulation in September.
The Telegraph notes that Austen "will be the only woman - apart from the Queen - to be featured on an English bank note, following the withdrawal of the old £5 notes, which featured Elizabeth Fry, in May." (The five-pound note now features Winston Churchill.)
The new currency is not without controversy. First, there's the vegan thing. The BBC explains:
"The £10 note will be made of the same material as the £5 note, which means it also contains some traces of animal fat - an issue which caused concern for vegans and some religious groups when it was launched last September."A petition to ban the note attracted more than 100,000 signatures but the new £10 will again contain some tallow, which is derived from meat products."
Then there's the choice of Austen image. The face on the currency comes from a pretty portrait made after the author died, which softened the edges of a sketch made from life. Here's more from The Sunday Times:
"The historian and television presenter Lucy Worsley, who has recently published a book about the Pride and Prejudice author, said: 'Jane Austen fans are pleased, obviously, that she's going to appear on the banknote, but it's deeply ironic that the image chosen by the Bank of England isn't really her." 'It's an author publicity portrait painted after she died in which she's been given the Georgian equivalent of an airbrushing — she's been subtly "improved." '" 'Jane had a much sharper face — some might call it sour."
Like the new five-pound bill, the Austen tenner includes anti-counterfeiting features and is noteworthy for its resiliency: The bills are expected to last 2.5 times longer than their paper counterparts.
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