William Howard Taft Presidential Inaugural Medal

Joseph K. Davison's Sons, William Howard Taft Presidential Inaugural Medal, 1909, gold, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James F. Dicke Family, 2010.64.2
Copied Joseph K. Davison's Sons, William Howard Taft Presidential Inaugural Medal, 1909, gold, 2 in. (5.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James F. Dicke Family, 2010.64.2
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
William Howard Taft Presidential Inaugural Medal
Artist
Joseph K. Davison's Sons
Date
1909
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2 in. (5.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the James F. Dicke Family
Mediums Description
gold
Classifications
Keywords
  • Occupation — political — president
  • Portrait male — Taft, William Howard
  • Ceremony — civic — inauguration
Object Number
2010.64.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2010.64.2

Artwork Description

This gold medal is one of three struck by the Joseph K. Davison's Sons firm to commemorate President William Howard Taft's inauguration in 1909. The inclusion of Vice President James S. Sherman on the obverse, while unusual for an inaugural medal, recalls late nineteenth-century pieces when portraits of both leaders were presented side by side. Taft and Sherman did not pose for the Davison designer. Instead, they sat for a photographer, and the designer used these photographs to model the portraits. Taft later wrote that his medal was "beautiful" and was thrilled to have it and the other inaugural souvenirs as "remembrances of the occasion." (Neil MacNeil, The President's Medal, 1789-1977, 1977)