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Laura Gardin Fraser: Designer of the American Women Quarters Obverse

By Ray James
The United States Mint's America the Beautiful Quarter series, which began in 2010, recently concluded last year with the 54th and final emblematic issue honoring the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site. In 2022 the Mint is debuting a brand-new Quarter series that will run for four years and celebrate some of America's most important and influential women.
Who Designed the 2022 Quarter?
In addition to featuring five unique reverse designs each year, the American Quarters series will see a 90-year-old design of George Washington appear on the obverse designed by the female American sculptor and numismatic legend Laura Gardin Fraser. So, who was Gardin Fraser, and why was her design selected to appear on the 2022 Quarters? Keep reading to find out!
What is the American Women Quarters program?
The new American Women's Quarters program will run from 2022 through 2025. The series will acknowledge and celebrate the role and contributions of culturally diverse American Women via its reverse designs. The subject's fields of accomplishments encompass a wide range of areas, including voting and civil rights, sciences, arts, humanities, and government.
2022 Quarter Reverse Designs
The women celebrated on the 2022 quarter reverses include the following:
- Maya Angelou, a noted writer and activist.
- Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space who was also a scientist and educator.
- Wilma Mankiller, a renowned social worker and the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
- Nina Otero-Warren, a Republican politician who worked for women's voting rights in New Mexico and also served as Santa Fe public school's first woman superintendent.
- Anna May Wong was the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood. Wong's career ran from the silent film era to T.V. and radio. Her depiction in this series will be the first time an American of Asian descent will appear on U.S. coinage.
2022 Quarter Obverse
The obverse of the American Women's Quarters program will continue to feature George Washington. However, the traditional George Flannagan design will be replaced by a design of Washington that Laura Gardin Fraser created in 1932! Gardin Fraser was one of the most prolific female sculptors of her time and today is praised for both her numismatic and sculptural work.


The 1932 George Washington Design
In 1932 a coin design contest was proposed to celebrate the bicentennial of George Washington's birth by creating an obverse featuring Washington based on the famous bust by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon. Laura Gardin Fraser entered a design in the competition, and while it was popular and even recommended by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), ultimately, it was not selected.
The Treasury secretary at the time, Andrew W. Mellon, instead chose the familiar John Flanagan design that today has been circulating for 90 years. The design was modified to a lower relief by William Cousins in more recent years. The 1932 commemorative Washington Quarter proved so popular that the design was made permanent and remained unchanged until the 50 State Quarters program. However, Gardin Fraser's design was not forgotten and would be resurrected twice, once in 1999, and now again in 2022 as the obverse design for the American Women Quarters Program which will be issued through 2025.
Who was Laura Gardin Fraser?
Laura Gardin Fraser was a noted American Sculptor and the first woman to design a U.S. commemorative coin. Her 1921 Alabama Half Dollar, the 1922 Grant Gold Dollar and Half Dollar, the 1925 Fort Vancouver Centennial Half Dollar, and the 1928 U.S. Congressional Charles Lindbergh Commemorative Gold Medal are just some of her notable numismatic contributions. Fraser also co-designed the famous 1926 Oregon Trail Half Dollar with her husband, sculptor James Earle Fraser, designer of the iconic Buffalo Nickel. Her infamous 1932 Washington Quarter design was not forgotten and appeared in 1999 as the $5 Washington Commemorative issue marking the 200th anniversary of his death.


Born in 1889 to John and Alice Tilton, during Fraser's early education, she had completed two portraits in addition to a variety of small animal sculptures. Fraser would study at New York's Art Students League, where she met and learned under James Earle Fraser, the famed designer of the Buffalo Nickel. During her time at the school, she would win the Saint-Gaudens Medal, a scholarship, and the Saint-Gaudens Figure prize. She would wed James Earle Fraser, to whom she remained married to until he died in 1953.
Gardin Fraser designed many medals, including the Congressional Medals of Honor as well as medals for the National Geographic Society and the American Bar Association, among many others. Some of her most famous sculptures include a double equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall Jackson" that took her twelve years to complete.
Gardin Fraser died in 1966. Her papers and those of her husband are part of the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and in the prestigious Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian.
Both Frasers are principally remembered as sculptors with notable numismatic contributions.
Laura Gardin Fraser's Coin Design Highlights
- The 1921 Alabama Half Dollar is a unique coin. The Half Dollar was actually the first U.S. coin that featured the image of then-living persons, Thomas E. Kilby, the governor of Alabama in 1921, and William Wyatt Bibb, the first governor of that state. In addition, the coin's reverse presents a design based on the Alabama State Seal featuring a bald eagle standing on a shield. The issue ultimately marked the 100th anniversary of Alabama's statehood, two years late.
- The 1922 Grant Gold Dollar and Half Dollar share the same designs. The issue marked the 100th anniversary of Ulysses S. Grant's birth. The obverse features a portrait of Grant, while the reverse features the image of the log cabin birthplace of President Grant.
- Laura Gardin Fraser designed the 1926-1939 Oregon Trail Half Dollar's obverse. The dominant image on the obverse is a Conestoga Wagon traveling West toward the setting sun. The coin's reverse was designed by her husband, James Earle Fraser—the noted American sculptor, designer of the Buffalo nickel, and Laura Gardin's teacher.
- The 1999 $5 Washington Gold Commemorative features Gardin Fraser's original Washington Quarter design. The obverse features a right-facing portrait of George Washington, based on the familiar Houdin bust. The reverse features a heraldic eagle displayed, similar to the standard Flanagan reverse, but depicted in what appears to be higher relief and in a more rugged take on the majestic bird. Collectors will get to experience this design again as the obverse of the 2022 Quarters.
New 2023 Quarter Designs
The United States Mint has announced five quarter designs for 2023, which will be released as part of the American Women Quarters™ Program. Each recognizes the achievements of women and their impacts on U.S. history. Bessie Coleman, Edith Kanaka’ole, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jovita Idar, and Maria Tallchief are the women featured on the reverse side of the quarter dollar.
- Bessie Coleman was the first African American, as well as the first Native American woman, to become a pilot. Designed by Chris Costello, the reverse side of the quarter depicts Coleman adjusting her pilot goggles with a biplane flying in the background.
- Edith Kanaka'ole was an indigenous Hawaiian composer, dancer, chanter, and teacher who preserved Hawaiian history, culture, and traditions. Her profile, designed by Emily Damstra, is shown on the reverse, with her hair merging into the Hawaiian terrain. Inscribed beneath her are the words, “E hō mai ka ʻike,” which translates to “Granting the wisdom.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt was a former first lady, author, and civil liberties advocate. Designed by Don Everhart, Eleanor’s profile portrays her standing beside a justice scale in front of a globe, representing the impact of her works as a human rights advocate.
- Jovita Idar was a Mexican-American journalist, activist, teacher, and suffragist. Created by John P. McGraw, she is shown clasping her hands together with words embedded across her body that reveal some of her significant achievements and the newspapers she worked for.
- Maria Tallchief was the first Native American (Osage) to hold the rank of prima ballerina in America. Designed by Ben Sowards, the quarter spotlights Tallchief performing a ballet pose with her Osage orthographic name written below, which translates to “Two Standards.”
While each quarter design on the reverse side will be different, the obverse will maintain Laura Gardin Fraser's portrayal of George Washington. The mint year is the only change that we'll see.
Sources:
https://www.usmint.gov/news/inside-the-mint/woman-behind-long-awaited-obverse-quarter-design
https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coin-and-medal-programs/american-women-quarters
https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/commemorative-coins/george-washington-gold
http://medallicartcollector.com/laura-gardin-fraser_biography.html
https://www.coinnews.net/2022/09/02/2023-american-women-quarter-dollar-designs-revealed/
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