Jules Jean Jusserand Commemorative Medal for the American Historical Association [obverse]

Art Historical Context

This commemorative medal, by sculptor Herbert Adams in 1925, honors Jules Jean Jusser, the distinguished French diplomat and historian who served as ambassador to the United States. The obverse side likely features a portrait of Jusserand, reflecting his close ties to American scholarship as an early recipient of the Pulitzer Prize and a supporter of historical studies. Adams, known for his refined portraiture in the Beaux-Arts tradition, crafted this small-scale work (just 2½ inches in diameter) as an official award for the American Historical Association. Medals like this one played an important role in early twentieth-century American cultural life, serving both as tokens of recognition and as miniature works of art that circulated among scholars and collectors. The piece entered the National Gallery of Art through the Corcoran Collection, a gift from the artist’s widow, underscoring the personal and institutional connections behind such commemorative objects. Though the exact medium remains unrecorded, the medal exemplifies how sculpture could extend beyond grand monuments into intimate, portable forms that celebrated intellectual achievement and international friendship.