Louisiana Purchase Exposition Silver Medal, 1904

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: Adolph A. Weinman
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: bronze
Mediums Description: bronze
Classifications: Sculpture
Medal
Subjects: Animal — fish
Figure group — female
Animal — bird — eagle
Object — other — shell
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.