Portrait medallion

Description

The presidential election of 1852 pitted Franklin Pierce (1804-69), Democratic candidate, against Winfield Scott (1786-1866), representing the Whig party. Scott, an officer in the United States Army, had a long and distinguished career fighting against the British during the War of 1812 and later against the Mexicans in 1847. He brought to his candidacy instant name recognition as well as a long and celebrated career as a patriot. Pierce, by contrast, was a compromise candidate. Although active in both New Hampshire and national politics since 1829, he was largely an unknown. Even so, his party's position on slavery prompted the electorate to hand him a landslide victory as fourteenth president. This cast-iron plaque pictures Winfield Scott; a similar plaque was made for Franklin Pierce (1976.0203). The image of Scott is taken directly from a photograph made between 1846 and 1848, when he was general-in-chief of the army and commanding general of the forces against Mexico. That of Pierce relates to a profile portrait taken by Salathiel Ellis in Philadelphia that was used on America Indian silver peace medals during his presidency. These portraits are artificially patinated on the surface to look like bronze and the borders colored to look like gilding. This method of faux gilding then called "Dutch gold" or "German gold" used a copper alloy [primarily copper and zinc] which can yield a variety of metallic hues from gold to pink or green. In the era, this method may have also used "bronze powders." The manufacturers, brothers Ira Chase, Jr. and Herman Chase of Boston, applied for a copyright in 1852 according to the stenciled inscription on the reverse, but this possibly served solely to intimidate potential imitators.