Louisiana Purchase Exposition Silver Medal, 1904

Copied Adolph A. Weinman, Louisiana Purchase Exposition Silver Medal, 1904, 1904, bronze, 2 5⁄8 x 2 5⁄8 x 1⁄4 in. (6.7 x 6.7 x .6 cm) square, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. C. Keith McLane, 1970.217A-B

Artwork Details

Title
Louisiana Purchase Exposition Silver Medal, 1904
Artist
Date
1904
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2 5⁄8 x 2 5⁄8 x 1⁄4 in. (6.7 x 6.7 x .6 cm) square
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. C. Keith McLane
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — other — shell
  • Animal — bird — eagle
  • Figure group — female
  • Animal — fish
Object Number
1970.217A-B
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1970.217A-B

Artwork Description

The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair---also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition---commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, which dramatically broadened the territory of the United States. On the reverse of Adolph Weinman’s medal an allegorical figure of America shelters a Native American maiden under her cloak, symbolically absorbing the history of native peoples into the history of the United States. Visitors to the exposition could buy the medal for fifty cents.