The Beaux-Arts Medal in America

The medal's obverse shows two women, symbolising France and America, seated in an open boat, rowed by an angel wearing a phrygian bonnet (a symbol of the French Revolution). In the distance on the left is the Statue of Liberty. Around top, VNION · FRANCO · AMERICAINE / STATVE · COLOSS-ALE · DE · LA · LIBERTÉ · ECLAIRANT · LE · MONDE / 28 OCTOBRE / M.D.CCCLXXXVI; signed around lower left, O. Roty.

The reverse shows the shields of America and France resting on a laurel branch, with a profile portrait of Bartholdi, facing left, in a medallion between them.  Around, SOUVENIR · DE · L'INDEPENDANCE · AMERICAINE; across,  MONVMENT / ERIGÉ · PAR · LA · FRANCE / ET · L'AMERIQVE · EN · SOUVENIR / · DE · LEVR · ANCIENNE · AMITIÉ / 1776 - 1876; flanking cartouche at bottom, HAVTEVR · DE / LA · STATVE · 46'''8 - HAVTEVR · DV / PIÉDESTAL · 35'''

This medal commemorates the Franco-American Union, formed in 1875, which planned and ultimately brought about the creation of the Statue of Liberty. The statue was a gift of friendship from France to the U.S.A. in recognition of the friendship established between the two nations during the American Revolution.

The Union agreed that the monument would represent the work of both nations. The statue would be made by the French and transported to the U.S.A. and the Americans would build its pedestal. The sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) started work immediately. The statue was dedicated on 28th October 1886.

The circular medal measures 68.8mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Paris Mint. No mintage is reported.

Parts of the description are from the Victoria and Albert Museum's record for this medal.

References:   Baxter 30, Marqusee 340

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

The medal's obverse bears Liberty walking alongside a Buffalo. Around top, PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION; in exergue, field for dedication.

The medal's reverse bears South-American and North-American Native Americans smoking peace pipe together, shields with representations of their respective continents at their feet. Above, BVFFALO / VSA MCMI

The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York from May 1st through November 2nd, 1901. The exposition is most remembered for the shooting of U.S. President William McKinley. Anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot him on September 6th while he was visiting the fair.

The medal exists in plain bronze, silver, gilted bronze, and gold variants. The silver and gold variants are very rare but no mintages have been reported. A golden piece was auctioned in 2017 by Rago Fine Arts for over $40,000. 

The medal measures 64mm in diameter and was manufactured by the Gorham Silver Company.

References:   Baxter 106, Marqusee 250

The medal's obverse bears male and female nudes symbolizing the union of the Western hemisphere by the Panama Canal; in background, sun and clouds above horizon with American isthmus. At bottom, DIVINE DISIVNCTA IVNXIT HOMO

The medal's reverse shows the Panama Pacific International Exposition's Tower of Jewels. On panel below building, MEDAL / OF AWARD; around, PANAMA PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION SAN FRANCISCO - MCMXV

The medal measures 70.3mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the United States Mint. Plain bronze, silver-plated, and gold-plated versions are known to exist.

References:   Baxter 114, MACo 1915-020, Marqusee 150,151,152

References:   ANS 10, Baxter 116, Marqusee 97

The obverse bears winged angel of mercy above two seated figures, a female representing poverty with face uplifted at left and a male representing crime, with shackled hand at right. In exergue, · ISSUED · BY · THE · AMERICAN · NUMISMATIC · / · AND · ARCHAEOLOGICAL · SOCIETY · / · NEW · YORK ·; signed at lower right, V D BRENNER 98

The reverse bears an oak tree at right with branches and foliage extending across entire field to left. Over foliage, nineteen-line inscription, · TO · COMMEMORATE · / · THE · SESSION · OF · THE · 25TH · / · NATIONAL · CONFERENCE · OF · / · CHARITIES · AND · CORRECTION · / · IN · THE · CITY · OF · NEW · YORK · / · MAY · 18TH · 25TH · 1898 · / · PRESIDENT · / · WILLIAM · RHINELANDER · STEWART · / · NEW · YORK · / · VICE · PRESIDENTS · / · CHARLES · R · HENDERSON · · THOMAS · E · ELLISON · / · CHICAGO · · FORT WAYNE · / · ISAIAH · JOSEPHI · / · NEW · YORK · / · TREASURER · / · LEVI · L · BARBOUR · DETROIT · / · GENERAL · SECRETARY · / · HASTINGS · H · HART · / · ST. PAUL ·; signed at lower right, V.D.BRENNER

The circular medal measures 77mm in diameter and was struck in bronze, silver and gold. The reported mintages are 1 gold piece, 30 pieces in silver and 253 pieces in bronze.

References:   ANS 12, Baxter 118, Marqusee 85

References:   ANS 14, Baxter 123, Marqusee 89

References:   ANS 15, Baxter 125, Marqusee 65

The plaquette's obverse bears James MacNeill Whistler standing, facing half left, with hand on his hip. To his left, butterfly signature and inscription: JAMES McNEILL WHISTLER / PAINTER ETCHER / AVTHOR; signed at top right, V. D. Brenner

The reverse bears peacock with inscription "MESSIEURS LES ENNEMIS!"; Whistler's butterfly device at bottom right. Signed at top, V.D.Brenner Sc.

James Abbott MacNeill Whistler (1834-1903) was an American painter, etcher, and author. Today he is counted among the great American artists. In his day, he was famous for his temper and for his uncompromising attitude towards art. "Art for art's sake" was a motto he lived by. 

The plaquette's obverse depicts Whistler in a pose that indicates barely contained impatience with the portraitist, possibly even disdain.

The reverse references two stories from Whistler's life. The peacock is a reference to a commission he had received from Frederick Leyland to decorate a dining room.  Rather than making the minor changes his patron had expected, Whistler refinished the entire room, overpainting a 16th century Cordoba leather wall for which Leyland had paid £1,000. When Leyland balked at the cost and the scope of the work, Whistler included him in the design as a peacock with gold on his body and at his feet.  He also later painted him, depicting him as an anthropomorhic peacock playing the piano and titled the painting "The Gold Scab: Eruption in Frithy Lucre", a pun on Leyland's fondness for frilly shirt fronts.

The quote relates to Whistler's bitter autobiography, titled "The Gentle Art of Making Enemies." Whistler had earlier pursued a libel suit against an art critic.While he won the suit, he was not awarded the damages he had sought and the legal costs combined with his already precarious finances to drive him into bankruptcy.  All his paintings were auctioned off and—to add insult to injury—Leyland oversaw their sale.

The rectangular plaquette measures 89.7mm x 65.4mm and was struck in bronze. No mintage is reported.

Gorham later manufactured a cast bronze plaque from Brenner's model.

References:   Baxter 127, Marqusee 75

References:   ANS 16, Baxter 128, Marqusee 77