Description

This medallion is the smaller of two sizes of peace medals that President Abraham Lincoln presented to the Great Chiefs of the Native American Nations as a gesture of peace. This smaller size was usually given to the braves or Indian men of lesser distinction than the chiefs. The tradition was begun by President George Washington in 1789 and continued by each president through Benjamin Harrison. The obverse features a right-profile bust of President Lincoln in the center. The inscription "Abraham Lincoln. President of the United States" follows the curve of the medallion above the portrait while the date 1862 is below. The sculptor's name is engraved just below Lincoln's right shoulder. The reverse depicts an Indian using a horse with a plow in the foreground and settlers' children playing baseball in the background as the center of the medallion. The border around the central image depicts one Indian scalping another above while a bow and a quiver of arrows are depicted below. The name of the sculptor of the reverse design, J. Willson, is just below the center image. See ID numbers 71.2009.082.0802, 0803, and .0805 for more Lincoln Indian peace medals in this collection. For more information about the Lincoln Indian Peace Medals, see Lincoln Lore issue number 1066, September 12, 1949, and the archives file found online at https://archive.org/stream/medalsmedallionslinc_7#page/n15/mode/2up. Part of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum