James B. Longacre

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James B. Longacre, self-portrait 1845

James Barton Longacre (born August 11, 1794 in Delaware County , Pennsylvania , † January 1, 1869 ) was an American portraitist and engraver who was the fourth chief engraver of the United States Mint from 1844 until his death .

Career

At the age of twelve he left home and began an apprenticeship in a bookstore. After his artistic talent was recognized, he became an apprentice to an engraver. He portrayed important personalities including the Senator from South Carolina , John C. Calhoun . In New York , Longacre was elected honorary member ( Honorary NA ) in 1827, the first year after the founding of the National Academy of Design .

After Christian Gobrecht's death in 1844, he succeeded him as chief engraver at the Philadelphia Mint . The mint was initially run by Mint Director Robert M. Patterson and Chief Coiner Franklin Peale, and a conflict arose between Longacre and his superiors after he designed a new gold dollar and double-headed eagle. He would almost have been fired had it not been for Treasury Secretary William M. Meredith . Patterson and Peale left the mint in the early 1850s, so the conflict died down.

After his sudden death on New Year's Day 1869, William Barber succeeded him. Longacre's coins are highly valued today, although they are occasionally criticized for lack of progress.

Known coins (selection)

  • Eagle Cent, 1857

  • Two cent coin, 1865

  • Indian head cent, 1909

Web links

Commons : James Barton Longacre  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ nationalacademy.org: Past Academicians "L" / Longacre, James Barton Honorary 1827 ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on July 1, 2015)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nationalacademy.org
  2. ^ Breen, Walter (1988). Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of US and Colonial Coins. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-14207-6 , page 476.
personal data
SURNAME Longacre, James B.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Longacre, James Barton (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American engraver
DATE OF BIRTH August 11, 1794
PLACE OF BIRTH Delaware County , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH January 1, 1869