Commems Collection Classic: 1892-93 World's Columbian Exposition - Gunther Controversy

I've posted a few times about design references for the 1892-93 World's Columbian Exposition - Christopher Columbus Half Dollar. I've done so to highlight some of the controversy that surrounded the first US commemorative coin and its depiction of Columbus.

You can read them here:

- 1892-93 World's Columbian Exposition - Portrait Source?
- 1892-93 World's Columbian Exposition - U. S. J. Dunbar & Olin Warner

One driver of controversy that I haven't discussed yet is Carl "Charles" Frederick Gunther, a Chicago, Illinois businessman who specialized in confections of chocolate, caramel, jellies and other tasty ingredients. His success in business enabled him to be an avid collector of coins, antiquities, rare books and manuscripts and important paintings.

Gunther owned the Antonio Moro's portrait of Christopher Columbus (painted in 1570) and believed it to be the only accurate depiction of the explorer. For this reason, Gunther aggressively disputed the Lorenzo Lotto portrait's description as an accurate reference source for the coin. The Moro painting was a "once-removed" painting in that it was not created via a sitting with Columbus (Columbus died in 1506), but rather from a small figure of Columbus that was once owned by the Spanish Royal Family. Moro was an acknowledged master painter, including of portraits, and likely faithfully reproduced his subject, but the accuracy of his source material is unknown.

It's clear that the Moro painting was not used as the model for the souvenir coin, as Columbus is shown with shorter hair and a beard in Moro's rendition vs. Columbus' appearance on the half dollar. (Columbus was often portrayed with a beard in early drawings/paintings.)

Contemporary articles about the coin refer to the Lotto painting as the design source for Columbus' coin portrait. Several also noted that the design was the work of Olin Warner (vs. Charles Barber). (See link above.)


Lorenzo Lotto's Portrait of Christopher Columbus


Antonio Moro's Portrait of Christopher Columbus


(images Source: Christopher Columbus: his portraits and his monuments. A descriptive catalogue. William Eleroy Curtis. 1893. Public Domain.)


1892 World's Columbian Exposition - Columbus Half Dollar



For more of my stories about commemorative coins and medals, including other Coin and Currency Sets, see: Commems Collection.