Pre-Apartheid: Bank Book belonging to Mr. Bernard Makobe (1939)
This vintage savings bank book, offers a glimpse into the financial history of the British Empire and the social landscape of Johannesburg on the eve of World War II.
The "Empire Bank": Barclays DCO
As seen on the cover the book was issued by Barclays Bank (Dominion, Colonial and Overseas).
Formed in 1925 by merging the National Bank of South Africa, the Anglo-Egyptian Bank, and the Colonial Bank, it was the brainchild of Barclays Chairman Frederick Goodenough. His dream was to create a unified "Empire Bank" to consolidate British financial power and facilitate trade across the global territories of the British Empire.
Commissioner Street East: The Heart of the Gold Hub
The internal stamp marks this account at the Commissioner Street East Branch in Johannesburg. Commissioner Street was the literal backbone of Johannesburg's economic explosion following the 1886 gold rush. It housed the first stock exchange, mining houses, and mega-banks.
Right around this era (in 1931), Barclays had completed its massive, iconic South African headquarters just down the road at 87 Commissioner Street—a commanding Beaux-Arts/Art Deco structure designed by the prominent architect Gordon Leith. This bank book showcases how the bank's local network expanded down the street to capture the business of a rapidly growing city.
A Document of Urban Social History (1939)
The interior ledger names the depositor as Mr. Bernard Makobe, with transactions starting in November 1939.
This artifact provides an important record of Black urban life and labor on the Witwatersrand during the interwar years.
Despite growing segregationist pressures and discriminatory labour laws in 1930s South Africa, a permanent class of Black urban professionals, clerks, miners, and entrepreneurs was firmly establishing itself in Johannesburg's cash economy.
Bankbooks like this demonstrate how individuals navigated the formal banking system to secure their livelihoods, earning a balance of a few pounds at a time when a single pound held significant purchasing power.
850mm x 120mm
Well used. Sold with all faults.
R800
