John Wesley Hyatt Award Medal (obverse)

Paul Manship, John Wesley Hyatt Award Medal (obverse), 1942, lead, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Paul Manship, 1966.47.120
Copied Paul Manship, John Wesley Hyatt Award Medal (obverse), 1942, lead, 3 in. (7.7 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Paul Manship, 1966.47.120

Artwork Details

Title
John Wesley Hyatt Award Medal (obverse)
Artist
Date
1942
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
3 in. (7.7 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Bequest of Paul Manship
Mediums
Mediums Description
lead
Classifications
Subjects
  • Occupation — science — inventor
  • Portrait male — Hyatt, John Wesley — head
Object Number
1966.47.120
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1966.47.120

Artwork Description

Drawn by the prospect of a ten-thousand-dollar prize, the printer John Wesley Hyatt (1837-1920) invented celluloid in 1869 as an alternative to the ivory used to produce billiard balls. Hyatt established the Celluloid Manufacturing Company in 1871, and the new material proved useful for millions of objects produced over the next seventy years. The Hyatt Award is given annually by the Society of Plastics Engineers. This die trial of the obverse of Paul Manship’s medal depicts Hyatt in profile.