The Davidson Medal, in Honor of Lord Nelson, and the Victory of the Nile 1798

This is the Davidson Medal, made by Conrad Heinrich Küchler to commemorate Lord Nelson’s victory at the Battle of the Nile. Struck from metal, probably bronze, the medal employs a long tradition dating back to antiquity. Like other forms of multiples, such as prints, medals enabled the relatively wide distribution of propaganda. Here, the message is unabashedly patriotic, celebrating the British Navy’s triumph over Napoleon’s fleet in 1798. The medal’s obverse shows Britannia bestowing a laurel wreath on a bust of Nelson, while the reverse depicts the battle itself. The lettering around the edges proclaims “Rear-Admiral Lord Nelson of the Nile” and “Almighty God has blessed his Majesty’s arms”. The precision and detail of the imagery, achieved through the striking process, speaks to the high degree of skill involved in die-making, a specialized trade. While medals like these circulated as keepsakes, their primary purpose was to reinforce a sense of national pride. They remind us that even small, seemingly innocuous objects can be powerful tools for shaping public opinion.