Medal of Thaddeus Kosciuszko 1818

Curator: Here we have the "Medal of Thaddeus Kosciuszko", crafted in bronze relief in 1818 by François Augustin Caunois. Editor: Ah, the man seems… stoic. Stern, almost. It reminds me of the sort of portrait you’d find on old currency. I get the feeling he wants something, you know? Like he's demanding justice. Curator: Considering Kosciuszko's role as a military leader and a champion for democracy and human rights both in Poland and the United States, your feeling aligns well with the piece. These medals were often commissioned and circulated as commemorative objects, tangible symbols connecting people to political ideals and historical events. Editor: There’s such formality in these sculpted profiles. You see him only from the side and yet his essence—his sense of purpose—it jumps right out. The bronze is lovely—cool, smooth. Did many people get medals like these back then? Curator: Medals like these played a key role in shaping public memory and celebrating civic virtues. The distribution of these medals served as a tool for disseminating particular political messages to the public, and in doing so fostered a shared identity, particularly among Polish émigrés living outside Poland after the partitions. Editor: I like thinking about who held this—what it meant to them. Did they wear it? Hide it? Did they know how cool bronze looks even now? This one almost has a warm glow to it still. You know... if it could talk… Curator: I agree the appeal remains today. It invites reflection not just on individual heroes but on the larger processes through which societies memorialize them and perpetuate shared values through the mass reproduction and dissemination of portraiture. Editor: I wonder how he felt, old Thaddeus. Was it worth it, you know, all the fighting and such? Does he see it working now? Curator: He would probably agree, much work still lies ahead. Editor: He probably would, you're right. But seeing his face there in metal, still glowing after all this time, well it means something. It reminds me what's possible.