The Beaux-Arts Medal in America

References:   ANS 46, Baxter 353, Marqusee 252

This medal was chosen as the third issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1931. The obverse bears five Hopi rain dancers, two with snakes in their mouths, two distracting the snakes with eagle feathers, and one crouching to gather up snakes. In exergue, incuse HOPI; at lower right, H A macNeil

The reverse bears dancers racing from mesa onto the desert, hands full of snakes to be returned to their dens. Lightning flashes above. In exergue, incuse PRAYER FOR RAIN; at lower left, incuse ©

This medal's theme was based on bas-relief panels that MacNeil had made decades earlier after a visit to a Hopi reservation. In the brochure accompanying the medal he wrote:

"The two incidents of the Hopi Prayer for Rain on the mesas of northeastern Arizona depicted on this medal are chosen by your sculptor because of the extraordinary vital enthusiasm and power that the Indians throw into this ceremony. Having witnessed it and been thrilled by the intensity of their emotion and on further study by the complicated and perfectly natural development of this drama, I cannot help feel that in it we find a basic note underlying all religions. All these Southwest Indians, living as they do in an arid region, have developed their religion along the lines of their greatest need - water."

This is one of the SoM medals that come in several strikingly different finshes. You can scroll the medal images between variants.

Struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York, the medal is an ovoid measuring 74mm x 70mm. The reported mintage of this medal is 1,713 medals in bronze and 25 in silver.

References:   Baxter 354, MACo 1930-001-003, Marqusee 251, SoM 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

The obverse bears a champion setter at attention under an Irish harp. Three clover leaves on each side. Around, IRISH SETTER CLUB OF AMERICA; over harp, signed LAURA GARDIN / SCULPTOR.

The reverse bears leash over dedication panel. Around, AFFECTION (*) COVRAGE (*) BEAVTY (*) INTELLIGENCE; in center, TO ENCOVRAGE / BREEDING AND / DEVELOP AND PERFECT / NATVRE'S CONTRIBVTION / TO A NOBLE RACE / AWARDED / TO.

This medal measures 76.3mm (3in) in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   Baxter 357, MACo 1919-007, Marqusee 170

The obverse bears a Morgan horse in profile, facing left. Around, THE MORGAN HORSE CLVB; signed at left next to horse's chest, LAVRA GARDIN / FRASER 1923 / ©

The reverse bears mare with young colt facing right. Above, VERMONT; signed at bottom left, (LGF monogram) / 1923 / ©

The edge is marked MEDALLIC ART CO NY

The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Its foundation sire was named Figure, later Justin Morgan after his best-known owner. Morgans were used as coach horses, harness racing, general riding animals, and as cavalry horses during the Civil War.

This medal measures 75mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   Baxter 358, MACo 1923-017, Marqusee 173

This medal is the eleventh issue in the prestigious and highly collectible Circle of Friends of the Medallion series.

The medal's obverse bears a figure representing New York, seated on a throne, holding burning torch in one hand, skyscraper in other. Around, TERCENTENARY / NEW YORK / 1914.

The reverse depicts the ship New Netherland which brought the first settlers to New Amsterdam in 1623, flanked by Dutchman with musket and Native American with bow and peace pipe; beaver below. Around, NEW NETHERLAND FOUNDED / 1614.

The circular medal measures 70mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by Davison of Philadelphia.

References:   Baxter 361, CoF 11, Marqusee 253

The medal's obverse bears kneeling semi-nude female figure facing left, holding goddess of victory in one hand, lyre in the other. Around, · ST · PAUL ·  - · INSTITUTE · ; signed in exergue, P · MANSHIP

The reverse bears winged steed in flight over large sun; wreath around bottom.

Paul Manship attended the St. Paul School of Art, which was later renamed to Saint Paul Institute of Arts and Sciences. I guess this medal was a thank you to his alma mater where his lifelong passion for sculpture was first kindled.

The medal's reverse is very reminiscent of the Art Directors' Club medal's obverse.

The circular medal measures 53.6mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   Baxter 364, MACo 1916-012-01, Murtha 76

The obverse bears bust of Kaiser Wilhelm II with necklace of skulls and iron cross; rifle with bayonett to left. Around, THE FOE OF FREE PEOPLES; below, HIS / ROSARY.

The reverse bears German soldier abducting helpless Belgian woman, callously stepping over child on ground. Around, KULTUR IN BELGIUM; below, MURDER PILLAGE.

The edge is marked MEDALLIC ART CO. N.Y.

This medal was clearly a response to German artist Karl Goetz' satirical war medals which depicted the allied side in a bad light. Goetz' medals were reviled by the Allies and caused a huge backlash, particularly his infamous Lusitania medal. Artistically, Goetz was on the leading edge of realism while French, British, and American sculptors were still depicting war in terms of carefully crafted Art Nouveau imagery, the horror of war often represented by an angel of death, a weeping widow or a cemetery.

Manship obviously decided that Goetz' medals deserved retaliation in kind. His medal is a true masterpiece of propaganda art, yet it was received with some ambivalence. The June, 1918 issue of the American Magazine of Arts reported:

"In some of the shop windows on Fifth Avenue, New York, is now to be seen a bronze medal designed and executed by Paul Manship representing the outrages perpetrated by the German army upon women and children in invaded territory, particularly in Belgium. This is offered for sale at $10.00 a piece and puts into permanent form those things which if possible should not be remembered, but if remembered not visualized."

The medal measures 66.2mm (2 5/8in) in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York.

References:   Baxter 365, MACo 1918-005, Murtha 103

The medal's obverse bears soldiers advancing past a fallen comrade on a battlefield strewn with wildflowers and fleurs-de-lis, the ancient badge of French glory; explosions and smoke filling background. On scroll around bottom, THE · FRENCH · HEROES' · FUND

The reverse bears allegorical figure of America emerging from threatening clouds, stretching arms out protectively over children reading and playing at her feet; radiant beams of light behind figure. In exergue, · AMERICA · AIDS · THE · / · CHILDREN · OF · / · FRANCE · ; signed along lower left, · P · MANSHIP · / © 1918

The French Heroes' Fund was established by Americans to rehabilitate wounded French soldiers, to help their families, and to aid children orphaned by the First World War. The fund purchased the childhood château of the Marquis de Lafayette–America's ally in the  Revolutionary War–and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars on behalf of the French.

The allegorical figure of America wears the Phrygian cap and classical gown that also symbolizes Marianne, France's version of  America's "Lady Liberty." 

The circular medal measures 65.1mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   Baxter 366, MACo 1918-006, Murtha 104

The medallion's obverse bears portrait of Welles Bosworth facing left. Around, · WELLES · BOSWORTH · ARCHITECT · MCMXX · ; signed on truncation, · PAUL MANSHIP ·

The reverse bears kneeling, nude, winged female figure holding a column. To her right, running vertically, ΕΥΦΡΟΣΥΗ

William Welles Bosworth (1869-1966) was an American architect whose most famous designs include MIT's Cambridge campus, the AT&T Building in New York City, and the Theodore N. Vail mansion in Morristown, New Jersey.  Bosworth gave Manship his first big breaks after the artist had returned from the American Academy in Rome in 1912, chief among them a contract for much of the high profile decorative work for the AT&T building in New York City. 

The Greek letters on the reverse spell the name of one of the "Three Graces," namely "Euphrosyne."  In Greek mythology the Graces were thought to have been brought into the world to fill it with pleasant moments and good will. Euphrosyne is most closely associated with grace and beauty.

With this medallion Manship paid hommage to one of his big benefactors, something he did quite frequently early in his career.

The circular medallion measures 92.4mm in diameter and was cast in bronze. The number of pieces that were made is not known.

References:   Baxter 367, Murtha 125