Commemorating the Tercentenary of Trinity College, Dublin. 1892. 1892

Edmond Johnson created this silver medal in 1892 to commemorate the tercentenary of Trinity College, Dublin. The piece depicts the profiles of Queen Elizabeth I, who founded the college in 1592, and Queen Victoria, the reigning monarch at the time of the anniversary. The medal serves as a potent symbol of British rule in Ireland during a period of intense political and cultural nationalism. Juxtaposing Elizabeth and Victoria creates a narrative of unbroken royal authority, subtly reinforcing the subjugation of Irish identity under the Crown. For unionists, this continuity represented stability and progress, but for Irish nationalists, it was a painful reminder of colonial oppression. Trinity College itself was often seen as a bastion of British influence, drawing a stark line between the colonizers and the colonized. This medal, therefore, transcends its function as a mere commemorative object; it becomes a loaded artifact, embodying the complex and often fraught relationship between Ireland and Britain.