Seal
- Title:
- New Hampshire Historical Society Seal
- Object Name:
- Seal
- Object ID:
- 1975.504
- Creator:
- French, Daniel Chester
Sculptor - Place of Origin:
- New York, NY
- Date:
- 1911
- Description:
- Plaster seal of the New Hampshire Historical Society. Ovoid medallion, painted gold. Convex center and slightly concave border. Relief designs include open book in center with Greek letters alpha and omega; above is a radiating sun; below is a skull with feathered headdress, surrounded by apple and pine branches; at bottom is a stone arrowhead. Relief lettering in border: "THE NEW-HAMPSHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY / MDCCCXXIII".
- Material:
- Plaster
- Dimensions:
- H-15.5 W-11.8 D-1.5 inches
- Provenance:
- Model of Daniel Chester French's new design for the New Hampshire Historical Society's seal, to be incorporated in his sculptural group above the entrance of the new building on Park Street. The design was approved from this plaster model at the Society's annual meeting on July 19, 1911.
From "Dedication of the Building of the New Hampshire Historical Society," 1912:
"The Seal . . . has in its center an open book with a torch, representing Learning and the transmission of it; above is the radiation of Light, and below is a skull of an Indian with the feathered head-dress of the New Hampshire Indians. Branches of the apple and the pine surround the skull as symbols of cultivation and wildness, and an Indian arrow-head appears below." Note that a torch was not part of the final design. - Credit Line:
- Gift of Daniel Chester French
Electronic Resources are only available to New Hampshire Historical Society members. To access electronic resources, please join the New Hampshire Historical Society.