Hiram C. Nicholas Gold Medal, Founder’s Award, The Council of Profit Sharing Industries

Copied Joseph E. Renier, Hiram C. Nicholas Gold Medal, Founder's Award, The Council of Profit Sharing Industries, after 1947, bronze, 3 in. (7.7 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Renier, 1967.93.52

Artwork Details

Title
Hiram C. Nicholas Gold Medal, Founder’s Award, The Council of Profit Sharing Industries
Founder
Medallic Art Company
Date
after 1947
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
3 in. (7.7 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Renier
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure male — full length
  • Portrait male — Nicholas, Hiram C. — bust
  • Object — other — torch
  • Occupation — other — businessman
Object Number
1967.93.52

Artwork Description

Hiram C. Nicholas (died 1950) headed the Quality Castings Company in Orrville, Ohio. He is remembered for having helped establish the Council of Profit Sharing (known today as the Profit Sharing/401(k) Council of America) in 1947. Nicholas and his collaborators believed that profit sharing promised reduced labor tensions, improved productivity, and higher profits. The movement grew out of the labor tensions of the 1930s and the “hate and strife” of the Second World War. The reverse of Joseph Renier’s medal shows a worker, identified by his coveralls, standing arm in arm with a suited company manager.