1900 Lafayette dollar. Director wants artistic design. Got a cheap ad. 0

[RWB]

Director Roberts wanted a great coin: "...we ought not to be satisfied with anything less than the best we can do in an artistic sense." But what he got from Charles Barber was trite commercial "art." This was much like the Gettysburg memorial design approved by the local; parking lot supervisor a century later. (OK....ok....This is my opinion. The parking lot guy thought a tiny statue was just great.)

Here's Barber's final product. Publicly, it was declared successful, but private French opinion thought it an embarassment.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by RWB

[Henri Charriere]

Well, if you are going to honor Gen. LaFayette, who incidentally has had statues erected in his honor all over New York City, the least you can do is throw in a rooster.  🐓 

[RWB]

On 11/15/2023 at 6:31 PM, Henri Charriere said:

the least you can do is throw in a rooster

It's hiding under the horse's tail....

[leeg]

[olympicsos]

I think Charles Barber did a better job than most of the artists we have today. 

[BillJones]

On 11/17/2023 at 3:24 PM, olympicsos said:

I think Charles Barber did a better job than most of the artists we have today. 

 

Barber was very good at making designs that were easy to strike up and held up well in circulation. His art was mostly okay. I don't agree with Theodore Roosevelt that it was "hideous." 

The obverse of the 1915-S Panama - Pacific $2.50 is generally considered to be Charles Barber's best work. George Morgan, who designed the silver dollar that so many collectors like, designed the reverse. 

 

[leeg]