Bernard Saint Gaudens came to Ireland from his home in Aspet France, and found a job in shoe factory. While there, he met Mary, whom he married, and produced three male offspring. The first two, Louis and George died before the third boy Augustus was born on March 1st, 1848, at 35 Charlemont St, in Dublin. In November of the same year, when Augustus was but eight months old, the family shipped out for Boston on the steamship Desdemona. Father Bernard couldn’t a suitable outlet for his French ladies boots and shoes, which he had begun making by hand, so they moved to New York City, where Bernard established a shop. Two more children were born. A second Louis (1851-1891) and Andrew (1853-1913). Augustus went to the New York school system until age 13, when he left to learn a trade. Very artistic, he apprenticed to a cameo cutter, and did that for six years, while taking night classes in art at the Cooper Union School, and the National Academy of Design. In 1867, he went to Paris, and enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he studied until 1870, when the Franco-Prussian War broke out.
Augustus returned to New York briefly, but decided that Rome was the current center for artists. While in Rome, he met Augusta Homer in 1874, who was an American painter. St. Gaudens proposed, but their marriage was delayed until 1876, after he was selected to do a public sculpture of Admiral David Farragut, a civil War hero. Wed in 1877, they promptly moved to Paris, where they remained for three years. While in Paris, he worked on his Admiral Farragut sculpture at his studio on the rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs. At his studio, he became friends with numerous American artists, who had also journeyed to Paris. Among the up-coming artists with which Augustus became friends, was architect Stanford White, with whom he would collaborate many times in future years.
Move forward to 1904, when the American President was Theodore Roosevelt, or “TR,” as he became known. TR was a blustery sort of fellow, who became famous after his charge up San Juan Hill. He disliked the coinage of the realm intensely, and considered it, “Atrocious and artistically hideous.” Until 1850, the US gold coins went from $1 through the $10 “Eagle.” In 1850, the mint began producing the “Double Eagles” or $20 gold coins. These, designed by James Longacre, featured a sort of “Miss Liberty,” wearing a jeweled coronet on the obverse, and on the reverse, a heraldic eagle with outspread wings, and a shield emblazoned on its chest. Until 1876, the reverse didn’t even say “Twenty Dollars,” but instead said, “Twenty D,” assuming, I am sure, that everyone knew “D” stood for “dollars.” After 1877, the coins were modified to say “Twenty Dollars,” but TR didn’t think they were worthy of America at all.
On December 27, 1904, TR wrote a short note to the Secretary of the Treasury, Leslie Mortimer Shaw, asking, “Would it be possible, without asking permission of the Congress, to employ a man like Saint-Gaudens to give us a coinage that would have some beauty?” TR hadn’t bothered to tell St. Gaudens of his request, but waited a couple of weeks, until he was invited to an American Institute of Architects sumptuous dinner in DC. Along with the President, was J.P. Morgan, Stanford White, Charles Dana Gibson, creator of the “Gibson Girl,” author Henry James, and quite a few other luminaries. The speeches by TR and Augustus St. Gaudens got the most applause. The banquet didn’t end till 1:30 in the morning, leaving him tired.
St. Gaudens, then 57, was at the absolute peak of his career. He had created not only the Admiral Farragut masterpiece, but a grand Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Adams in Rock Creek Park, in DC, and in Central Park, New York, a spectacular equestrian group, being led by William Tecumseh Sherman being led by a mythical Victory. Augustus Saint-Gaudens, was indeed considered America’s, if not the world’s greatest sculptor. According to his assistant, James Earle Fraser, who in 1913 created the Buffalo Nickel, Gus, as he was called, “was always over-worked.” He slept fitfully, drifted into deep depression, and at one time even considered suicide. Nevertheless, he enjoyed his work, and was on everyone’s guest list, including the White House.
Over a luncheon at the White House, TR unveiled to Gus, his plan to create a new design for US coins. All US coins, from the lowly penny, through the largest $20 dollar gold coin, would be re-designed by St. Gaudens, if TR had his way. Gus was a bit skeptical, because from pencil sketch, through plaster models, to reducing them to coin size, approval, mint bureaucracy, etc, would be a monumental task. It wasn’t the first time the US Mint had requested new designs for the coinage. In 1891, St. Gaudens, as well as nine other American artists had been invited to submit designs for new coins. As is usual with government, little time was allowed, compensation was small, and incompetent judges would have passed on their work so all ten refused.
Then there was the problem with the mint itself. Charles Barber, was the Mint’s chief engraver, and an excellent engraver he was. Being an excellent engraver, does not automatically mean that the engraver is an excellent artist, which Barber was not. He only thought he was, and his designs were poor, by anyone’s ideals but he had the power of office. Barber contended that only a Mint engraver was capable of designing new coins. A committee was formed to request suggestions from other artists about new coin design. 300 were received, and all discarded. Exasperated, the design was handed to Barber. St. Gaudens decided not to ever deal with the Mint again.
But TR was insistent. He wanted Gus St. Gaudens to design the US coins, and would have it no other way. Former Secretary of State, Elihu Root is quoted as saying about TR, “Roosevelt was like a great bell, ringing out each morning some new call to duty or devotion, with such an appeal and such command as none could disregard.” At a meeting with brother Louis, two days later at the Players Club in New York, he said, “Barber is a son of a bitch, but I had a talk with the President, who ordered Secretary Shaw in my presence to cut Barber’s head off if he didn’t do our bidding.” He was still ambivalent. TR then wrote to Secretary Shaw, asking if St Gaudins couldn’t be, “Employed for at least one set of coins?” Further, he was, “To be given an absolutely free hand. I do not wish there to be the slightest interference with Saint Gaudens in connection with the coinage from the artistic side.”
A loophole in the law, required that once a coin was placed in circulation, it had to be used for 25 years, before a change could be made. This left only the gold coins and the one-cent that could be re-designed. TR wanted to know how much it would cost to do the re-design. St. Gaudins normal fee was $50,000, but he said, “$5,000 as my price for making the designs for both sides of the gold pieces and the penny. In fixing this amount I name a sum considerably below what I receive for my work of like character. The same design may be adopted for both gold and copper coinage.” A bargain! However, Gus’s health was failing, and many treatments had not helped. On some days he had to ingest a lot of morphine to stop the pain. He was enthusiastic about the project, but was only able to work a few hours per day.
His final design was a proud flying eagle on the reverse, and on the obverse was the figure of Liberty, in a billowing gown, with her hair blowing in the wind. Her left foot took the last step to the top of a mountain, and in her right hand, she held a torch to light the way. In her left had, she carried an olive branch of peace. Below was the Capitol of the United States, with the sun’s rays of enlightenment shining forth. What a design! Naturally, the mint objected, with complains about the height of the relief, and a few other lame objections. Augustus Saint-Gaudens, racked with pain, slipped into a coma, and died on August 3, 1907, before first coin was struck.
Over the years, from 1907 through 1933, more than 75 million were struck. Hundreds of thousands of 1933’s were also struck, but when FDR decided to steal hundreds of millions from his constituency, all but a few of the 1933’s were melted down, with the rest of the gold which had been voluntarily handed in foolishly for new paper dollars. As a final compliment to Augustus Saint Gaudens, the US Mint, daily strikes its Gold and Silver Eagles with the St. Gaudens art work proudly emblazoned on both sides. They are so exquisite, that I use them as a sort of mast-head on my web site, coloradogold.com. The US gold and silver Eagles, are perhaps the most beautiful coins in the world, presently being minted, but unfortunately, they are also some of the most expensive over the spot price of gold and silver. Even so, when they are sold, the high premiums are returned in higher sell prices, so it is not as bad as it sounds. Protect yourself.