Description
This medal from the Washington Benevolent Society likely belonged to Samuel Copp (b. 1787) around 1808. The medal has an obverse image of the allegorical figure of Lady Liberty crowing a bust of George Washington with a laurel. The reverse is engraved “Benevolence” and depicts a man reaching down to help a fallen woman. The first Washington Benevolent Society was formed July 12th in New York as a charitable organization, but soon became a group mainly focused on supporting the Federalist Party. The group disbanded around 1820.The Copp Collection contains a variety of household objects that the Copp family of Connecticut used from around 1700 until the mid-1800s. Part of the Puritan Great Migration from England to Boston, the family eventually made their home in New London County, Connecticut, where their textiles, clothes, utensils, ceramics, books, bibles, and letters provide a vivid picture of daily life. More of the collection from the Division of Home and Community Life can be viewed by searching accession number 28810.Currently not on view
Gift of John Brenton Copp
