Société des Artistes Français, Salon de 1901, Médaille de 2me Classe Peinture Awarded to Mr. H. Hartwich

The Société des Artistes Français was an association of French artists established in 1881 to organize the annual Paris Salon. The Salon had been sponsored by the French government from its inception in 1725 until 1881 when they withdrew their support. The Salon was the largest art exhibition in France and provided an arena for French and foreign artists to regularly showcase their talents. This medal, designed by Jean-Baptiste Daniel-Dupuis, was awarded to American landscape painter Herman Hartwich (1853-1926) in the Paris Salon of 1901. An allegorical figure holds laurel wreaths symbolizing the victories of sculptors and painters whose implements rest on a nearby pedestal.