Medallic Art Collector's Selection

This medal's obverse bears three robed female figures, two seated ones flanking standing one in the middle. In exergue, incuse inscription: DESMOND FITZGERALD MEDAL / INSTITUTED 1910

The reverse bears laurel branches behind ninscribed cartouche at bottom. Around, BOSTON SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS; in center field, AWARDED / FOR BEST ESSAY / IN ENGINEERING / TO

This beautiful medal was commissioned by Desmond Fitzgerald, a past President of the Society, to honor the author of the best paper published by a member of the Society during the year ending in the month of September. He donated the tidy sum of $2,000 to fund the medal. He reasoned that a medal wold be the best form for such a prize because the prize should be valued not for its intrinsic worth but solely as

"a testimonial that the holder of it has contributed something which his fellow members consider of great value to the engineering profession also that the evidence of having received such an award will be more available and less likely to be deposited where it can seldom be seen if the medal is of bronze rather than of precious metal."

The medal has a diameter of 76.3mm and was struck in bronze by the U.S. Mint. Mint records indicate that 18 pieces were struck at the order of Brenner in November of 1911.

References:   CoF 7

The medal's obverse bears view of L. Bamberger & Co.'s Newark flagship store.

The reverse bears legend within wreath, L. BAMBERGER Co. / NEWARK, N.J. / 1893 - 1912

Louis Bamberger (1855-1944) was born in Baltimore and came to Newark in 1892.  He purchased the bankrupt dry goods emporium Hill & Craig at auction. and renamed it L. Bamberger & Company. Under Bamberger’s leadership,  the store became very successful.  In 1912 he opened the first section of his completely redone store to the public. This is the event commemorated by this medal.  He eventually sold his empire to Macy's, which kept the Bamberger brand alive till 1986.  The Newark store was finally closed in 1991.

The circular medal measures 74.6mm in diameter and was probably struck by Whitehead & Hoag of Newark, New Jersey, but I can't be sure because the medal bears neither an artist's signature nor maker's marks.  Any additional information would be welcome.

The uniface medal bears bust of Captain Arthur Rostron facing right. Around, S·S·TITANIC (laurel branch) APRIL·15·1912 (laurel branch) S·S·CARPATHIA / CAPTAIN · ROSTRON; signed to left and right of bust, © - SPICER·/SIMSON

The edge is marked with a faint "41"

On April 15, 1912, Arthur Henry Rostron (1869-1940) was a captain for the Cunard Line when his ship, the ocean liner RMS Carpathia, received a distress signal from the White Star liner RMS Titanic. The Titanic had struck an iceberg and was sinking rapidly.  Rostron immediately ordered his ship to race for the sinking Titanic.  His engineering crew coaxed the Carpathia's engines up to 17.5 knots, 3.5 knots over its rated speed. He took a huge risk racing through dense ice at night but he knew what was at stake when a major liner was sinking in freezing water in the middle of the Atlantic.  In the 3.5 hours which it took to arrive at the Titanic's radioed position he gave 23 orders that would later prove to have saved lives. His crew prepared blankets, food and drinks and ended up rescuing 710 survivors from the freezing waters of the Atlantic.

Rostron was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, the Thanks of Congress, the American Cross of Honor, and medals by the Liverpool and New York Shipwreck Societies.  Rostron would eventually rise to the position of Commodore of the Cunard Line and served as a British Naval Officer during World War I.

The medal was privately commissioned by Titanic survivors Margaret Brown and Dennis Telluride.

The circular medal measures 51mm. Only 500 pieces were struck in bronze.

The obverse bears bearded portrait of Griswold as Hagen, l., holding a spear. Signed and dated at lower right, © W. D. Paddock 1912

The reverse bears a phrase of music over a wreath. Around, DEBUT · HAGEN - 1912 · / · PUTNAM GRISWOLD ·

Putnam Griswold (1875-1914) was an American opera singer.  Born in Minneapolis, he pursued a business career before discovering his voice at the age of 22. He studied in London, Paris, and Germany and became a regular member of the Berlin Opera. In 1911 he returned to America to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where his Wagner interpretations won over public and critics alike. He died suddenly of appendicitis in 1914, cutting short a stellar operatic career.

The medal was cast by the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island. No mintage is reported.

References:   CoF 6, Marqusee 115

The medal's obverse bears kneeling archer with drawn bow, facing right; sun at his feet, stars above, cape flowing over his left shoulder. Signed at lower left, (GSC monogram)

The reverse bears a view of of the Municipal Building of Springfield, Massachusetts over two branches of laurel and oak. Around top, · 1636 · SPRINGFIELD · 1852; across, TO / COMMEMORATE / THE DEDICATION OF / THE MVNICIPAL BVILDINGS / OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD / · MASSACHVSETTS ON THE / EIGHTH AND NINTH DAYS OF DECEMBER / IN THE YEAR OF OVR LORD · NINE- /TEEN HVNDRED AND THIRTEEN; under buildings, 1913

This medal represents an interesting collaboration: Gail Corbett designed the medal's obverse and Felix Weil, one of the founders of the Medallic Art Company, the reverse.

This circular medal measures 63.8mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

Many thanks to the Numismatic department of the Yale University Art Gallery for their generosity and support in granting me access to this medal for research.

References:   MACo 1913-009

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

References:   CoF 9, Marqusee 327