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
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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
- Subjects
- Animal — fish
- Figure group — female
- Animal — bird — eagle
- Object — other — shell
- Object Number
- 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.