American Red Cross War Council Medal (obverse) (1920): Art, History and Details

American Red Cross War Council Medal (obverse) (1920) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Daniel Chester French (American, 1850–1931); Medallic Art Company (American).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This medal was the 42nd issue of the American Numismatic Society and co-issued by the American Red Cross in 1920. It was first struck in gold for the 12 members of the council of prominent New York businessmen who had advised the American Red Cross on its work during the First World War. Then 4 more were struck in silver and 205 in bronze, the group from which this medal comes.

Object facts

• Title: American Red Cross War Council Medal (obverse)
• Date: 1920
• Creator attribution: Daniel Chester French (American, 1850–1931); Medallic Art Company (American)
• Culture: America
• Type: Metalwork
• Technique: bronze
• Dimensions: Diameter: 7 cm (2 3/4 in.)
• Collection: Decorative Arts
• Department: Decorative Art and Design
• Accession number: 1921.1724.a

A detail from the museum

The initials of artist Will Hicok Low (1853–1932) are inscribed on the reverse because he advised French to place the nurse in front of the soldier in the composition.

Collection credit

Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.