Medal commemorating Major General Zachary Taylor

Art Historical Context

This copper medal, struck in 1847 by medallist C. C., honors Major General Zachary Taylor, rising star of the Mexican-American War. Measuring just 6.5 cm in diameter, exemplifies 19th-century American commemorative art, where small-scale portraits and symbols celebrated military heroes amid national expansionism. Taylor's victories, especially at Buena Vista earlier that year, propelled him to fame, foreshadowing his 1848 presidential election. As a product of the Arts of the Americas tradition, the medal likely features Taylor's profile or battle motifs, rendered through precise engraving an...