Exposition Universelle
Exposition Universelle, 1867
François Joseph Hubert Ponscarme (1827 – 1903)
#1912.0005.0130
(click image to expand)
This medal was modelled by François Josef Hubert Ponscarme, which was struck for the Exposition Universelle in 1863. Evans was awarded this because he organized an exhibition of American mobile triage artifacts for this monumental event. The emperor’s profile on the medals of his wreathed head, characteristic beard and long waxed moustache adorn the front. The reverse of this medal acknowledged Evan’s name on a standard raised by winged cherubs above an imperial eagle. The grandiose 1867 exhibition reflected the high self-regard of the Second Empire, which was a period of expansive economic and industrial growth. According to Evans himself, the exhibition was “an impressive manifestation of the Imperial will, that the sword was no longer the instrument upon which France relied for the maintenance of her and prestige among the nations.”
