Description

Round, bronze medallion features a profile of Lincoln in relief on the front. He wears a beard and faces the viewer's left. "Dedie par la democratie francaise a Lincoln president deux fois elu des etats-unis" is embossed around the portrait; the English translation reads, "Dedicated by the French Democracy. Twice elected President of the United States." The reverse features an image in relief depicting an altar with the following words translated to English: "Lincoln, honest man, abolished slavery, reestablished the Union and saved the Republic, without veiling the Statue of Liberty. He was assassinated the 14th of April, 1865." Below the altar are the following words translated to English: "Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity." On one side, a winged woman or Victory rests upon a sword and drapes a wreath over the altar; on the other side, two emancipated slaves, a young boy and a man, offer a palm branch and point to an eagle. A ship and train are depicted in the background. This bronze medal was struck from the original dies used to make the gold medal presented to Mary Todd Lincoln in 1866. Robert Todd Lincoln later presented her medal to the Library of Congress. Part of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum