Designs in the numismatic business can strike from anywhere and inspirations can take form in the most surprising of ways. The creative process of a coin designer can be a combination of past and present with the added flare of the artist as they specify what, who, and where they got their idea within the designs or sketches themselves.
For George T. Morgan, his design process for the most popular of silver dollars was straight forward as his intent remained simple: he wanted to capture American female beauty. What was and is thought of as creatively executed and one of the most beautiful designs on a coin to date, some found to be provocative at the time.
George T. Morgan - Designer
An Englishman with considerable engraving and artistic abilities, Morgan was hired in at the United States Mint as an assistant engraver in 1876 under then-Chief Engraver William Barber. Knowing that his presence was only that because of then-Director of the Mint Henry Linderman’s unsatisfactory feelings toward American coinage at the time, Barber and his son, Charles, both made it very uncomfortable for Morgan. This caused Morgan’s work to be done mostly off-site.
Design Process
Commissioned to design a new dollar, Morgan found himself studying American art at the Academy of Fine Arts in an attempt at getting more familiar with communicating designs that were more Americanized. It was then that he found himself leaning towards a specific design sought to represent American female beauty. Though first thought to want a head representing that of a “Goddess of Liberty” or something very similar of the sort, it was finally decided upon that the design would feature a head of an actual “living American girl” that would sit while being sketched.
Finding the Perfect Girl
Although there were a plethora of young women Morgan observed that made it apparent of their longing to pose as models for artists at the Arts Academy, he struggled to find just the right one as no one aligned with his vision. He even made his way to the Women’s School of Design but still no young woman was able to catch his eye.
With the acquaintance of Mr. Thomas Eakins, a fellow artist that shared the same interests as Morgan, a friendship was struck up and his final attempt at finding the perfect girl would be validated. It was through this new friendship that Morgan was introduced to a young lady friend of the family. The young woman posed for Morgan at the residence of Mr. Eakins at Mount Vernon Street. Although chosen amongst many, there seemed to still be difficulties for the young lady as the process of design and posing for the artist was trying as she was exposed to the intricacies of art and design. Although a vision was created before the model was chosen, Morgan proved how strenuous and rather daunting a task to capture the profile of a young woman that Morgan was quoted as saying was “the most perfect he had ever seen in England or in this country.” It took every bit of four or five separate instances in which the young woman was commissioned to pose for Morgan at Mount Vernon Street.
Who Is She?
Today, the Morgan Dollar is highly sought after and is quite possibly the most popular of silver dollars amongst coin collectors. But who is the likeness of the woman on the coin? Later identified as Anna W. Williams by the Philadelphia Record, the young girl was said to have been just 18-years-old when she was asked to pose for Morgan.
As a student trying to pursue her dream of becoming a schoolteacher, Williams was said to have declined the offer to pose initially as she was not looking for notoriety or fame. It was through a persistent Mr. Eakins that she finally agreed on the stipulation that she remain anonymous, but as the mintage of the coin officially took place in 1878, her anonymity was short lived as the aforementioned newspaper would out Williams and deem her “The Silver Dollar Girl.”
Despite the attention for years to come, Williams would go on to be a well-accomplished school teacher and used her “fame” as a recourse to talk about such things she was passionate about. She would go on to retire as an educator in Philadelphia while never being married as it is said that part of the repercussions of being “The Silver Dollar Girl” allowed for her one and only engagement in 1896 to be broken off. She passed at the age of 68 in Philadelphia as a successful educator but an unmarried woman.
Is It True?
Many researchers in the coin hobby question whether or not Williams was truly the source of inspiration for Miss Liberty. Many newspapers and magazines were written about her posing but researchers argue that Morgan could have adapted his designs with sources unrelated to the Morgan Dollar. This is something that engravers have tended to do in the past and even so in the present.
Even though speculated, it is hard to deny the unmistakable similarities between a young Anna W. Williams and the famed Morgan Silver Dollar. Although today it would seem harmless to pose for an American coin or anything for that matter, back then it was unheard of that the likeness of an actual living woman be portrayed in such a way. Even though there may be a quote on quote “scandal” of such events surrounding the Morgan Silver Dollar and its design, the coin continues to make an exquisite impact on today’s collecting market nearly 150 years later.
Sources: Lee, Karen M. The Private Sketchbook of George T. Morgan America’s Silver Dollar Artist. Whitman Publishing, LLC, 2013. & Collectors-Society.com