Description:

BRONZE LINCOLN PLAQUE BY VICTOR D. BRENNER
VICTOR D. BRENNER (1871-1924) American sculptor, engraver, and medalist known primarily as the designer of the Lincoln Wheat penny and the bust still used on the penny today. Scarce bronze plaque, 9 1/4" x 7" set onto a 8 1/2" x 11" veined green marble base with bronze stand attached on the verso. The image features a head and shoulders portrait of the martyred president, facing right, with "ABRAHAM LINCOLN" with the dates "1809-1865" below, with "COPYRIGHT 1907 BY V.D. BRENNER" and the artist's monogram in smaller letters along the right edge. Marble is chipped in two corners, otherwise in fine condition and displaying a beautiful patina. Theodore Roosevelt had previously sat for Brenner and was very impressed with a plaque Brenner had done of Lincoln based on a Brady photograph (identical to this). He immediately employed Brenner to make the new Lincoln "wheat" penny in time for the centennial of Lincoln's birth. Interestingly, Brenner placed his initials "VDB" at the bottom of the reverse between the wheat ear stalks. Unlike other medalists of the time, he at first refused to sign either his name or his initials, and his subsequent decision to permit the latter to appear was due entirely to his sense of responsibility for his work. Widespread criticism of the initials' prominence resulted in their removal midway through 1909, the design's first year of issue. In 1918, Brenner's initials returned as small letters below Lincoln's shoulder, where they remain today.

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May 13, 2009 10:00 AM EDT
Stamford, CT, US

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