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| Queen Elizabeth on the Bahamas notes |
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| Bahamas 5 Dollar note |
Obverse: One of the more beautiful portraits of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the George IV State Diadem and the necklace that was a wedding gift from the Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar.
Reverse: Bahamas Government House in Nassau and Christopher Columbus Statue located at the foot of Government house.
Printed by Thomas De La Rue currency note printers in England.
Government House is the residence of the Governor-General, the Queen’s representative in the Bahamas. Like in Canada, the role is largely ceremonial and an elected prime-mister is the acting head of government. Constructed in 1806 this house is built in the neoclassical style with a central pediment and like the Parliament buildings is painted bright pink.
The statue of Christopher Columbus, which stands at the harborside entrance of the building, was reportedly designed in London by an aide to American novelist Washington Irving, a Columbus biographer. The 12-foot-tall representation was placed in front of Government House by Governor James Carmichael Smyth in 1830. As another observer wrote of the statue, "It is fortunate that the statue is labeled, for otherwise no one would ever guess that the swaggering, piratical-looking figure, with a slouch hat cocked rakishly on its head and a toga over its shoulder, is intended to represent Columbus".