First International Exhibition in America Opened in Crystal Palace, New York 1853

This silver medal was designed by Charles Cushing Wright to commemorate the First International Exhibition in America. Look closely at the composition and how the figures relate to one another. Columbia, embodying the United States, presents a globe to the winged figure of Genius, who is flanked by Industry. The precise, neoclassical style evokes a sense of rational order, reflecting the optimism of the era. Consider how the medal’s circular form contributes to its meaning. The shape creates a sense of wholeness and completion, symbolic of the global reach and comprehensive nature of the exhibition itself. The medal doesn't merely commemorate an event; it encapsulates a vision of America's place in a rapidly industrializing world, mediated through allegorical form and design.