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Fraser, James Earle, Peace of Versaille, 1919
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Awarded to Charles Newton Rowlen of Champaign, Illinois
"In 1919 Fraser created a medal memorializing the Peace of Versailles. On the obverse, a warrior goddess strides toward us wearing a radiant crown and breast plates. She carries a shield and points her sword down, as a sign that the fighting has been completed. The figure is vertically-centered, the out-stretched wings offer horizontal opposition. The background is plain and smooth. On the reverse the fasce surmounted by the blade of a double-headed battleaxe is seen against the U.S. Shield. At the top edge of the round the inscription reads THE GREAT WAR FOR CIVILIZATION. At the bottom, six five-pointed stars are well-spaced. The participating countries are named and placed on either side of the shield. On the left they are France, Italy, Serbia, Japan, Montenegro, Russia, and Greece. On the right they are Great Britain, Belgium, Brazil, Portugal, Rumania, and China. The overall effect is of clean, modern design. An earlier version of the face shows only the fasce and battleaxe with four countries, America, France, Britain and Italy, and the date May 1919. When required to add the names of additional signators of the treaty, Fraser was able to adapt the numerous additional letters to the basic design idea yet still keep his uncluttered feeling."
Quoted from: August L. Freundlich, "The Coins and Medals of James Earle Fraser,” In The Medal in America, Edited by Alan M. Stahl, The American Numismatic Society, New York, 1998, pp. 191-193.
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