France Mourning the President of the Republic [reverse] 1894

This bronze medal, by Louis-Oscar Roty, commemorates the assassination of French President Marie François Sadi Carnot in June 1894. It encapsulates the political and social turbulence of the Third Republic. The allegorical figure of France, veiled in mourning, stands beside Carnot's draped body, while the towers of Lyon – where he was killed by an Italian anarchist – loom in the background. The inscription reads 'In mourning for the fatherland.' Medals like this served as potent tools of public sentiment in late 19th-century France, used to solidify national identity in the face of political violence. They reflect an era grappling with anxieties about social order and the legacy of republicanism. To fully understand this piece, historians delve into contemporary newspapers, political pamphlets, and police reports that can reveal the atmosphere of the time, and allow us to see the medal as a poignant artifact of a society in crisis.