The medal's obverse bears standing Columbia with cornucopia in her arm, her cloak fluttering dramatically behind her; at her feet, winged cherub bearing sign labeled INDUSTRY; winged wheel at lower left; exposition building in background. Around upper left, ATLANTA - GEORGIA / U-S-A; signed around lower right, PH MARTINY - SC · NY ·
The reverse bears eagle at top, palm frond at left and cotton branch at right. Across, COTTON STATES / AND INTERNATIONAL / EXPOSITION / AWARDED TO / (cartouche engraved I. V. Joyce) / ATLANTA / GEORGIA / U · S · A / MDCCCXCV
The Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895 was held at the in Atlanta, Georgia. Nearly 800,000 visitors attended the event. The exposition was designed to promote the region to the world and showcase products and new technologies as well as to encourage trade with Latin America.
This is probably one of my all-time favorite exposition medals. It is modeled in extremely deep relief and is a masterpiece of Beaux-Arts design.
The circular medal measures 57.4mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island.
References: Baxter 92, Marqusee 258