<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>I'm a native New Englander. Sometimes I feel like I've been to Boston more times than Samuel Adams. When one grows up in New England, it is a safe assumption that every school field trip will somehow relate to Colonial America and the American Revolutionary War. In light of this, I am always thrilled and excited to learn new things about the fledgling American nation. I hit the jackpot with the National Numismatic Collection's <em>Comitia Americana</em> medals. Earlier this year, I was able to record, research, and digitize this particularly historic group of medals.</p><p><img alt="Coin with portrait of George Washington in profile" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__20349 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/Washington_Boston_Obverse_0.jpg?itok=ovXtmnM_" style="width: 550px; height: 413px;" title="George Washington Before Boston, United States, 1790"></p><p><img alt="Coin with men on horses " class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__20351 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/Washington_Boston_Reverse.jpg?itok=HqOhmQc3" style="width: 550px; height: 413px;" title="George Washington Before Boston, United States, 1790"></p><p>The <em>Comitia Americana</em> (Latin for "American Congress") medals originally consisted of 11 medals celebrating the heroism of George Washington, John Eager Howard, William Washington, Anthony Wayne, John Stewart, Daniel Morgan, John Paul Jones, Horatio Gates, François-Louis Teissèdre de Fleury, Henry Lee, and Nathanael Greene. Each medal was meant to commemorate and celebrate particular military victories and the champions who led them—everything from the Siege of Boston in 1776 (George Washington) to the battle between the <em>Bonhomme Richard</em> and the <em>Serapis</em> in 1779 (John Paul Jones). Artistically, the medal engravings range from portraiture and classical iconography to panoramic battle scenes complete with ship sails billowing in the wind. Almost every medal depicts a moment of the American Revolutionary War that changed the course of the colonies' futures. Several medals display the Battle of Cowpens (1781) with three of the toughest Revolutionary War heroes in different scenes from the battle: John Eager Howard, William Washington, and Daniel Morgan. Some of these medals employ mythic iconography to depict and honor their respective recipient. The medals depicting Horatio Gates, Anthony Wayne, John Paul Jones, Henry Lee, and Nathaniel Greene all use portraiture to celebrate these early American heroes.</p><p><img alt="Portrait of a man in profile" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__20352 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/John%20Paul%20Jones%2C%20Bonhomme%20Richard%20vs.%20Serapis%20Obverse.jpg?itok=e5SFyxPw" style="width: 550px; height: 413px;" title="John Paul Jones, Bonhomme Richard vs. Serapis, United States, 1779"></p><p><img alt="Coin with tall ship with sails" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__20353 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/John%20Paul%20Jones%2C%20Bonhomme%20Richard%20vs.%20Serapis%20Reverse.jpg?itok=jh0S37Gm" style="width: 550px; height: 413px;" title="John Paul Jones, Bonhomme Richard vs. Serapis, United States, 1779"></p><p>The <em>Comitia Americana</em> medals were created after a vote by the Continental Congress in March 1776. The congress commissioned the creation of a series of medals to be given to American heroes, foreign royalty, dignitaries, and even universities as a continued declaration and celebration of American independence. The practice of giving medals was a common action of independent European countries, so by joining in this tradition the 13 colonies were declaring their status as an independent and worthy nation. In their book, <em>Comitia Americana and Related Medals: Underappreciated Monuments to Our Heritage</em>, John W. Adams and Anne E. Bentley write, "the <em>Comitia Americana</em> medals were seen as a potentially fundamental building block in the diplomatic and public relations of our young nation."</p><p><img alt="Coin with a dramatic scene. A man on a horse raises a sword. Beside him, a man runs with a flag flapping in the wind. In center, a winged female figure holds a wreath above the head of the man with the sword." class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__20354 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/John%20Eager%20Howard%20at%20the%20Cowpens%20Obverse.jpg?itok=rsBDEx9-" style="width: 550px; height: 413px;" title="John Eager Howard at Cowpens, United States, 1781"></p><p><img alt="Coin with inscription in laurel wreath" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__20355 img__view_mode__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/John%20Eager%20Howard%20at%20the%20Cowpens%20Reverse.jpg?itok=Hwuw2XZz" style="width: 550px; height: 413px;" title="John Eager Howard at Cowpens, United States, 1781"></p><p>The <em>Comitia Americana</em> medals represent some of the earliest moments of the United States—as an independent nation—engaging with the international community through both politics and art. The celebration of military victory through these medals declares America to be a sovereign nation legitimized not only through victory in battle but also through medallic craft. Additionally, these medals serve as a grandiose thank you to France—particularly the <em>Libertas Americana</em> and medal celebrating de Fleury (the most heroic-looking medal of them all!). The <em>Comitia Americana</em> medals, and their later additions, allowed the first American Congress to reaffirm the statement of American legitimacy, originally made in the Declaration of Independence, through numismatic art.</p><p><img alt="Coin with image of a man holding a sword" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__20356 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/Francois%20Louis%20Teissedre%20de%20Fleury%20at%20Stony%20Point%20Obverse.jpg?itok=PrDG7bMB" style="width: 550px; height: 413px;" title="François-Louis Teissèdre de Fleury at Stony Point, United States, 1779/1880"></p><p><img alt="Coin with aerial image of a fort" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__20357 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/Francois%20Louis%20Teissedre%20de%20Fleury%20at%20Stony%20Point%20Reverse.jpg?itok=XXEzujIz" style="width: 550px; height: 413px;" title="François-Louis Teissèdre de Fleury at Stony Point, United States, 1779/1880"></p><p>The National Numismatic Collection (NNC) has 119 <em>Comitia Americana</em> medals with the inclusion of the <em>Libertas Americana</em> medal (a medal specifically created to thank France for her participation in the American Revolution), and the <em>Diplomatic Medal</em> of Thomas Jefferson's design. Thanks to the generosity and support of author and medal expert John W. Adams, the NNC has now completed the digitization of its <em>Comitia Americana</em> holdings! The collection's high-resolution images can be found on the Smithsonian's <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/comitia-americana-medals-in-the-national-numismatic-collection/pJFwwCycY8RWz8oA">Learning Lab website</a>. Virtual viewers can explore the images and iconography of each medal and learn more about the engravers behind their creation. For my New England compatriots (and friends from other locales) these <em>Comitia Americana</em> medals make interacting with the American Revolution and its heroes feel new, exciting, and tangible.</p><p><img alt="Coin with portrait of a person (perhaps a woman) with long hair" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__20358 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/Libertas%20Americana%20Obverse.jpg?itok=9-5eEH-u" style="width: 550px; height: 413px;" title="Libertas Americana, France, 1782"></p><p><img alt="Coin with image of woman with shield protecting a small, naked baby against the attacks of a lion" class="auto-caption media-image img__fid__20359 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" rel="lightbox" src="https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/Libertas%20Americana%20Reverse.jpg?itok=k0BagUx8" style="width: 550px; height: 413px;" title="Libertas Americana, France, 1782"></p><p><em>Emily Pearce Seigerman is a museum specialist with the National Numismatic Collection.</em></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-related-user field-type-user-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Related Staff Member: </div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/users/pearcee">pearcee</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-posted-date field-type-datetime field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Posted Date: </div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">Friday, January 13, 2017 - 08:45</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Categories: </h3><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/blog-tags/numismatics">Numismatics</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/blog-tags/collections">From the Collections</a></li></ul></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?a=pJTHMhBTI2U:NjL4XjFbXVI:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?a=pJTHMhBTI2U:NjL4XjFbXVI:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?a=pJTHMhBTI2U:NjL4XjFbXVI:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?i=pJTHMhBTI2U:NjL4XjFbXVI:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?a=pJTHMhBTI2U:NjL4XjFbXVI:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?i=pJTHMhBTI2U:NjL4XjFbXVI:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?a=pJTHMhBTI2U:NjL4XjFbXVI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OSayCanYouSee?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OSayCanYouSee/~4/pJTHMhBTI2U" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>
