Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commemorative Souvenir Medal and 
Presentation Box

Copied Adolph A. Weinman, Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commemorative Souvenir Medal and Presentation Box, 1904, bronze, medal: 2 3⁄4 x 2 3⁄4 x 1⁄4 in. (7.0 x 7.0 x 0.6 cm) triangular, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. C. Keith McLane, 1970.220A-B

Artwork Details

Title
Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commemorative Souvenir Medal and Presentation Box
Artist
Founder
U.S. Mint
Date
1904
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
medal: 2 3⁄4 x 2 3⁄4 x 1⁄4 in. (7.0 x 7.0 x 0.6 cm) triangular
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. C. Keith McLane
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure female — nude
  • Figure group — female
  • Object — other — flag
  • Animal — bird — eagle
  • Landscape — time — sunrise
  • Allegory — place — America
  • Animal — dolphin
Object Number
1970.220A-B
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1970.220A-B

Artwork Description

The exposition celebrated the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States. It also led to the expansion of the plantation system and the further dispossession of land from Indigenous nations.  

The figure at left represents Columbia—derived from Christopher Columbus. Her left arm wraps an American flag around a figure who personifies the assumed uncivilized Louisiana Territory. Her nudity and braided hair are meant to signal that she is Native.

Label text from The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture November 8, 2024 -- September 14, 2025

Luce Center Label

The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair---also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition---marked the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, which dramatically broadened the territory of the United States. Adolph Weinman created this alternate design for the reverse of the commemorative medal (see 1970.217a-b), which was available to fairgoers in St. Louis for fifty cents.