The 64mm medal pictured above is, without a doubt, a masterpiece of the engraver's art. Issued in 1902 by the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition, specimens were struck by the Gorham Manufacturing Company in bronze, silver-plated bronze, and gold-washed bronze. The medal features an allegorical figure seated between two palmetto trees, cradling a ship in her left arm and holding a sceptre in her right hand. Depicted to her right is a view of Fort Sumter and, to her left, a scene showing the fine homes on East Battery. A total of almost 1200 medals were awarded - 571 gold, 335 silver, and 283 bronze - to exhibitors in several divisions. The 31 categories for which medals were awarded included: agricultural products, agricultural machinery, live stock, foods and accessories, beverages, horticulture and pomology, forestry, fish and fisheries, mines and metallurgy, gas engines and acetylene generators, electricity and electrical appliances, transportation, ordnance, chemicals, leather, furniture, hardware, jewelry and watches, manufactures and fabrics, graphic arts, paper and stationery, education, photographs, medical and dental instruments, engineering, hygiene and sanitation, constructive architecture, music and musical instruments, oil paintings, installation, and books. A short synopsis of the fair appears below, which was adapted from the introduction to my new book entitled The Charleston Exposition. Contact me at chibbaro@mindspring.com for ordering information. Additional information on the Charleston Exposition can be found by following this link.
An oft-repeated adage holds that "everyone loves a fair," and South Carolinians of one hundred years ago were no exception. When approached by Col. J.H. Averill with the idea of converting their annual Fall Festival into an Exposition highlighting the state's growing commercial advantages, Charlestonians united with citizens from all over the Palmetto State to plan and execute the only world's fair ever held on South Carolina soil. From organizing committees, to distributing publicity, to drumming up support in the legislature, the people of this small state came together under common cause to host an extravaganza of art, architecture, education, and entertainment that has yet to be surpassed.
Early proponents of the Exposition noted that other Southern cities had held events with resounding success and did not want South Carolina to be overlooked in the race to land new business and industry. In 1897, Nashville had held the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, while Atlanta had hosted the very successful Cotton States Exposition two years earlier. Both cities had presented a wide variety of exhibits and amusements, in the process showcasing their communities and enticing several new businesses to locate in their areas. This outcome was what the Exposition backers hoped to recreate in Charleston. When their plan was given final approval, stock subscriptions were solicited, money was raised, blueprints were drawn, and buildings were constructed. Enthusiasm ran high throughout the state in anticipation of the great event.
A view of the Cotton Palace, the largest building at the Charleston Exposition.
From December 1, 1901 through May 31, 1902, the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition (also known as the Charleston Exposition) was held on 250 acres of land to the immediate northwest of the city proper, in the area now known as Hampton Park. The Exposition attracted some 675,000 visitors during its six-month run, but the total attendance would have been much higher had the Lowcountry not experienced one of the coldest and wettest winters on record.
Despite the bad weather, "the Ivory City" (called thus due to the ivory color that most of the buildings were painted) impressed all who were able to attend. The primary architectural theme consisted of a melding of two seemingly disparate styles, with buildings of American Colonial design blended in amongst those of a decidedly Spanish motif. This seemingly odd combination was meant to reflect the region's early colonial heritage as well as its links to the nearby Spanish Carribean. Broad avenues were combined with water features and sunken gardens, twisting paths were paired with moss-laden live oaks, creating an idyllic landscape which allowed visitors an experience that they would not soon forget.
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and his wife, greeting guests during his visit to Charleston.
Exhibits were housed in several large buildings erected specifically for the Exposition, the most notable of which was the Cotton Palace. In it were displayed exhibits concerned with one aspect or another of the state's chief commercial product - cotton. Two additional buildings, the Palace of Agriculture and the Palace of Commerce, joined with the Cotton Palace to form the Court of Palaces. Other buildings included the Auditorium, the Forestry & Mines Building, the Administration Building, the Pennsylvania Building, the Transportation Building, the Arts Palace, and the Machinery & Electricity Building, to name a few. And of course there was the Midway - an odd collection of amusements and sideshows that catered to the more adventurous of spirit. Notable happenings at the fair included visits by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and author Samuel Clemens, as well as the exhibition of the Liberty Bell, on loan from the city of Philadelphia. International flair was added through official exhibits from Guatemala, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, the presence of which legitimized the fair's reference to the West Indies in its title.
The reverse of this month’s medal features the name George Wharton Edwards.
A second look at the medal itself reveals the name of the recipient on the reverse - George Wharton Edwards. Edwards was a portrait painter and muralist who had two pieces of artwork on display in the Fine Arts Building. One of the two works won the silver medal for him. The two paintings were New England Fishing Villages, entered in the watercolor or pastel division, and The Sunken Reef, an oil painting. Edwards’ best known work was Hendryk Hudson, a large mural done in 1904 for the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.
Hendryk Hudson by George Wharton Edwards. Courtesy of West Point Museum Collection, United States Military Academy.
Copyright 2001 by Tony Chibbaro.
Sources
The Charleston Exposition by Anthony Chibbaro, Arcadia Publishing Co., 2001.
If you collect or have a casual interest in South Carolina tokens or tokens issued by cotton mills, lumber companies, or other types of businesses, you may want to purchase my book, South Carolina Tokens and its two supplements. To read a description of these standard references, please click on this link: Books.
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