All Medals

References:   HSoNY 1911

The medal's obverse bears portrait of Archibald Ashley Welch, left, on raised center field. Around top, ARCHIBALD ASHLEY WELCH; in exergue, 1859-1935; signed at right shoulder, KILENYI

The reverse bears legend, FORTY FIVE YEARS / AN OFFICIAL OF THE / PHOENIX MUTUAL / LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY / PRESIDENT / 1924 - 1935

The circular medal measures 76.3mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Robbins Company of Attleboro, Massachusetts. No mintage is reported.

References:   ANS 22, Baxter 302, MACo 1908-001, Marqusee 336,337

References:   MACo 1930-001-053, SoM 53

The medal's obverse bears a harnessed hackney horse, facing right. Around, AMERICAN HACKNEY / HORSE SOCIETY

The reverse bears laurel wreath, inscribed with: Awarded to / 1836 CZARINA / Exhibited by / Charles E Bunn / AT / Chicago Ill. / 1910

The medal's obverse bears bearded face. Around top, NORGE 1977

The medal's reverse bears a flat fish. 

This is the only medal knwon to have been created by Reidar.  His mother was born in Northern Norway, so thatm ay have influenced his choice of country.  A man who wore an impressive beard himself, he liked bearded and moustached men and even wrote poems to the "Grey bearded men of Russia."  The face on the medal obverse could be a self-portrait of a portrayal of an iconic figure.  It is possible that the fish on the reverse symbolizes something about Reidar, although exactly what remains a mystery. 

The roughly circular medal measures 70mm in diameter and was struck at Kultateollisuus Finland.

References:   NorA NO-1977

The medal's obverse bears first seal of the city, three diagonal crosses on shield with three vertical bars, beaver on top. Underneath, SIGILLUM AMSTELLO / DAMENSIS IN NOVO BELGIO; around edge, in two lines, ISSUED BY THE HOLLAND SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 1915 / TER HERINNERING AAN DEN 300 JAARDAG DER NEDERLANDSCHE VESTIGING OP MANHATTAS 1613

The reverse bears city seal with Native American, windmill, sailor, and beaver, crown on top. Around, COMMEMORATING THE 250 ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN, 1665

The circular medal measures 76mm in diameter and was struck in gilt bronze. No mintage is reported.

Many thanks to Stephen Carofalo who sent me the images for this medal and also did research on all the Holland Society medals.

References:   HSoNY 1915.2

References:   MACo 1971-013-003, WR 3

The obverse bears two nude babies. Above, BETTER BABIES. The reverse bears a field for the name of the recipient and the following legend: BETTER - BABIES - MEDAL / AWARDED BY / THE / WOMAN'S / HOME COMPANION; signed LAURA FRASER / SCULPTOR. The medal is edgemarked © CROWELL PUB. CO. 1913

Elaine Leotti, in her paper "The American Woman Medalist," comments:

"Fraser's Better Babies Medal done in 1913 for the Woman's Home Companion is her only piece which can truly be called feminine. It is a well balanced medal, nicely executed if a bit on the sentimental side. The babies' bare flesh is soft, almost palpable, their curls and dimpled elbows invite touch, thus appealing to exactly the audience the medal was meant to impress."

Today, the title "Better Babies" almost invariably elicits a wince or a giggle. What was the background for this medal? As the Eugenics Archive of Cold Harbor Spring Laboratory puts it:

At the beginning of the 20th century, citizens concerned about high infant mortality in the United States took up the call of "baby saving." These initiatives relied on standards for normal child development, as well as input from healthcare professionals and public health officials. Better Babies Contests addressed this concern for child welfare and physical development, becoming the first eugenic competitions held at state fairs.

The first "Scientific Baby Contest" to combine these standards was initiated by Mary DeGarmo in 1908 at the Louisiana State Fair. DeGarmo linked the competitions to the social efficiency movement and its call for standardized homes, roads, and schools. Many Progressives believed that such standardization would improve the lives of young children.

With the assistance of Dr. Jacob Bodenheimer, measures of contestants' physical and intellectual development were carefully recorded. Winning contestants often appeared in graduation gowns and were presented with "loving cups" to mark their achievement. By 1913, the Woman's Home Companion magazine co-sponsored the contests, which were simply known as "Better Babies Contests." The magazine presented certificates signed by DeGarmo and Bodenheimer documenting that winners had "a sound mind in a sound body."

Mary T. Watts and Florence Brown Sherbon had organized Better Babies in Iowa in 1911. However, in 1920 they were provided new evaluation forms by Charles Davenport, who was then a member of the American Association for the Study and Prevention of Infant Mortality (AASPIM). Using Davenport's forms, they organized the first "Fitter Families for Future Firesides Competition" at the Kansas State Free Fair. Watts and Sherbon added a hereditarian explanation for human differences to the Better Babies Contests' earlier focus on child development and welfare. Thus they completed the transformation of Scientific Baby Contests to a vehicle popularizing eugenic ideas.

The medal exists in a 33mm gold and a 51mm bronze variant. The Medallic Art Company struck it between 1912 and some time in the mid twenties and the total mintage is probably in the hundreds.

Sourced from the excellent E-Sylum and the Eugenics Archive.

References:   Baxter 355, MACo 1913-005