BROWN, William Garl Junior (1823-1894) British-American portrait painter, designer, Richmond, Virginia.
Born England, October 1823. Came to America 1837 with
family, father of same name (Sr.) was landscape painter.
Established studio for portrait painting in Richmond
in 1846. His portrait paintings now held by museums and
state buildings in Virginia and North Carolina.
In 1847 Brown traveled to battlefields of Mexican War. He
painted a portrait of General Taylor so lifelike it was chosen
by War Secretary William L. Marcy as the portrait for Mint
medal. Brown demanded payment of $200, or the dies for
striking more medals. Amazingly, the Mint agreed to supply
the dies. But he demanded the obverse die in a smaller, 41mm
size, and had a new reverse die cut giving details of his copyright.
These were issued for the election campaign of 1848. (It was
forbidden for campaign medals to be engraved at the Mint, so
these may have been struck elsewhere.)
Died on a trip to visit sister, Buffalo, New York, 1894.
C A M P A I G N M E D A L S
1848 Taylor (Zachary) Copyright By William G. Brown
Medal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DeWitt ZT 1848-2,
Bushnell 56, Satterlee 173-174
Auctions:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PCA 58:268, PCA 63:58
M E D A L S
1848 Taylor (Zachary) Victory at Palo Alto Medal (portrait
modeled by John T. Battin from painting by Brown, rev
delineated by Mint Director Robert M. Patterson; dies
engraved by James B. Longacre). . Loubat 59, Julian MI-22
Auctions:. . . . . . . .BMP 1:4245, BMP 1:4382, BMP 2:5277;
CAL 35:1132; J&J 8:211-212, J&J 9:474, J&J 14:808;
NAS 22:1677-1678; PCA 43:1241, PCA 44:1706,
PCA 49:1196, PCA 50:1427, PCA 52:334, PCA 53:324,
PCA 66:324, PCA 68:488, PCA 69:296, PCA 71:454
Collection: American Numismatic Soc [>1].0000.999.38457
Collection: Smithsonian National Numismatic. . . . . 335:22
1848 Taylor (Zachary) Victory at Monterey Medal (portrait
modeled by John T. Battin from painting by Brown,
rev delineated by Mint Director Robert M. Patterson;
dies engraved by James B. Longacre). . . . . . . . . .Loubat 60,
Julian MI-23
Auctions:. . . BMP 2:5278; PCA 50:348-349, PCA 51:1023,
PCA 52:335, PCA 54:1809, PCA 57:1728, PCA 68:489
Collection: American Numismatic Society .0000.999.38459
Collection: Smithsonian National Numismatic.. . . . 335:24
L I S T M E D A L S
1848 Taylor (Zachary) Victory at Palo Alto Medal. . . . . . . List 421
1848 Taylor (Zachary) Victory at Monterey Medal . . . . . . List 422
Auctions:. . . . . . . CAL 29:1049, CAL 32:2094; J&J 20:310
B I O G R A P I C A L R E F E R E N C E S
D15 {1957} Groce and Wallace, p 89.
BF2 {1999} Falk. Who Was Who in American Art, p 1:473.
N U M I S M A T I C R E F E R E N C E S
M2 {1878) Loubat, 59, p 281-289, 60 290-298.
S11 {1959} DeWitt ZT 1848-2, p 119-120.
M19 {1963} Chamberlain (Georgia Stamm) American Medals and Medalists.
Annandale, Virginia: Turnpike Press. 146 pages, 55 plates.
Reprinted articles: * General Taylor's Gold Medal for Rio Grande Victories,
The Numismatist 72:3 (March 1959) pp 259-265. In reprint: 84-90.
* General Taylor's Gold Medal Monterey, The Numismatist 72:4 (April 1959) pp 387-388. In reprint: 91-93;
figure 13, 14, 35-39.
E17 {1983} Pessolano-Filos, p 18 (author attributes the Samuel and Mary Bell Medal,
PE-5, of 1856, to this artist; while possible it is doubtful, further, he missdates it to 1880).
E18 {1985} McSorley.
Born England, October 1823. Came to America 1837 with
family, father of same name (Sr.) was landscape painter.
Established studio for portrait painting in Richmond
in 1846. His portrait paintings now held by museums and
state buildings in Virginia and North Carolina.
In 1847 Brown traveled to battlefields of Mexican War. He
painted a portrait of General Taylor so lifelike it was chosen
by War Secretary William L. Marcy as the portrait for Mint
medal. Brown demanded payment of $200, or the dies for
striking more medals. Amazingly, the Mint agreed to supply
the dies. But he demanded the obverse die in a smaller, 41mm
size, and had a new reverse die cut giving details of his copyright.
These were issued for the election campaign of 1848. (It was
forbidden for campaign medals to be engraved at the Mint, so
these may have been struck elsewhere.)
Died on a trip to visit sister, Buffalo, New York, 1894.
C A M P A I G N M E D A L S
1848 Taylor (Zachary) Copyright By William G. Brown
Medal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DeWitt ZT 1848-2,
Bushnell 56, Satterlee 173-174
Auctions:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PCA 58:268, PCA 63:58
M E D A L S
1848 Taylor (Zachary) Victory at Palo Alto Medal (portrait
modeled by John T. Battin from painting by Brown, rev
delineated by Mint Director Robert M. Patterson; dies
engraved by James B. Longacre). . Loubat 59, Julian MI-22
Auctions:. . . . . . . .BMP 1:4245, BMP 1:4382, BMP 2:5277;
CAL 35:1132; J&J 8:211-212, J&J 9:474, J&J 14:808;
NAS 22:1677-1678; PCA 43:1241, PCA 44:1706,
PCA 49:1196, PCA 50:1427, PCA 52:334, PCA 53:324,
PCA 66:324, PCA 68:488, PCA 69:296, PCA 71:454
Collection: American Numismatic Soc [>1].0000.999.38457
Collection: Smithsonian National Numismatic. . . . . 335:22
1848 Taylor (Zachary) Victory at Monterey Medal (portrait
modeled by John T. Battin from painting by Brown,
rev delineated by Mint Director Robert M. Patterson;
dies engraved by James B. Longacre). . . . . . . . . .Loubat 60,
Julian MI-23
Auctions:. . . BMP 2:5278; PCA 50:348-349, PCA 51:1023,
PCA 52:335, PCA 54:1809, PCA 57:1728, PCA 68:489
Collection: American Numismatic Society .0000.999.38459
Collection: Smithsonian National Numismatic.. . . . 335:24
L I S T M E D A L S
1848 Taylor (Zachary) Victory at Palo Alto Medal. . . . . . . List 421
1848 Taylor (Zachary) Victory at Monterey Medal . . . . . . List 422
Auctions:. . . . . . . CAL 29:1049, CAL 32:2094; J&J 20:310
B I O G R A P I C A L R E F E R E N C E S
D15 {1957} Groce and Wallace, p 89.
BF2 {1999} Falk. Who Was Who in American Art, p 1:473.
N U M I S M A T I C R E F E R E N C E S
M2 {1878) Loubat, 59, p 281-289, 60 290-298.
S11 {1959} DeWitt ZT 1848-2, p 119-120.
M19 {1963} Chamberlain (Georgia Stamm) American Medals and Medalists.
Annandale, Virginia: Turnpike Press. 146 pages, 55 plates.
Reprinted articles: * General Taylor's Gold Medal for Rio Grande Victories,
The Numismatist 72:3 (March 1959) pp 259-265. In reprint: 84-90.
* General Taylor's Gold Medal Monterey, The Numismatist 72:4 (April 1959) pp 387-388. In reprint: 91-93;
figure 13, 14, 35-39.
E17 {1983} Pessolano-Filos, p 18 (author attributes the Samuel and Mary Bell Medal,
PE-5, of 1856, to this artist; while possible it is doubtful, further, he missdates it to 1880).
E18 {1985} McSorley.