James Barton Longacre
Encyclopedia
United States Mint
The United States Mint primarily produces circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint was created by Congress with the Coinage Act of 1792, and placed within the Department of State...
from 1844 until his death. He succeeded Christian Gobrecht
Christian Gobrecht
Christian Gobrecht was the third Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1835 until his death in 1844. He was responsible for designing the famous "Seated Liberty" designs, which were in turn the direct inspiration for the design of the Trade Dollar...
in the position as Chief Engraver upon Gobrecht's death. Longacre is probably best known for designing the Indian Head Cent
Indian Head cent
The Indian Head one-cent coin, also known as an Indian Penny , was produced by the United States Mint from 1859 to 1909 at the Philadelphia Mint and in 1908 and 1909 at the San Francisco Mint...
, but was also responsible for the designs of the Shield Nickel
Shield nickel
The Shield nickel was the first United States five cent piece to be made out of copper-nickel, the same alloy of which American nickels are struck today. Designed by James B. Longacre, the coin was issued from 1866 until 1883, when it was replaced by the Liberty Head nickel...
, Flying Eagle cent
Flying Eagle cent
The Flying Eagle cent is a United States coin that was minted from 1856 to 1858. The coin was designed by James B. Longacre. The Flying Eagle was the first small-sized cent coin minted in the US, replacing the earlier large cent. The obverse of the coin depicts an eagle in flight, a unique subject...
, Two-Cent piece
Two-cent piece (United States coin)
The two-cent coin was produced in the United States from 1864–1873 with decreasing mintages throughout that time. In terms of consumer price indexes, the 1864 coin would be comparable to $ in today's money....
, silver and nickel three-cent pieces
Three-cent piece (United States coin)
The United States three cent piece was a unit of currency equaling 3/100th of a United States dollar. The mint produced two different three-cent coins: the three-cent silver and the three-cent nickel. Its purchasing power in 1851 would be equivalent to $ today.-History:The three cent coin has an...
, One dollar gold
Gold dollar
The gold dollar was a United States dollar coin produced from 1849 to 1889. Composed of 90% pure gold, it was the smallest denomination of gold currency ever produced by the United States federal government...
, a $3 gold piece
Three-dollar piece
The three-dollar piece was a United States coin produced from 1854 to 1889. Its value was intended to tie in with the postal system. At the time, a first class postage stamp was worth 3¢, and such stamps were often sold in sheets of one hundred stamps. Therefore, the three-dollar piece was...
, and the first $20 or double eagle
Double Eagle
A Double Eagle is a gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. . The coins are made from a 90% gold and 10% copper alloy....
.
From 1833–1839, Longacre and James Herring published The National Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Americans, which presented portraits and biographical sketches.
Early life and career
Born on a farm in Delaware County, PennsylvaniaDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
, Longacre left home at the age of 12, seeking work in the nearby city of Philadelphia. He apprenticed himself at a bookstore, but the bookstore owner, John E. Watson, soon recognized his skills as a portraitist. He arranged for Longacre to serve an apprenticeship with engraver George Murray, so that the young Longacre could hone his artistic skills.
In 1819, Longacre established his own firm, specializing in the engraving of portraits. His first important commission was for S.F. Bradford's Encyclopedia. His engraving of Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
(from a painting by Thomas Sully
Thomas Sully
Thomas Sully was an American painter, mostly of portraits.-Early life:Sully was born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, to the actors Matthew and Sarah Sully. In March 1792 the Sullys and their nine children immigrated to Richmond, Virginia, where Thomas’s uncle managed a theater...
), sold widely. Another important early work was Longacre's illustrations for John Sanderson
John Sanderson
Lieutenant General John Murray Sanderson AC is a former Governor of Western Australia and a former Chief of the Australian Army.-Early life:...
's nine-volume Biographies of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Around 1830, he began, in partnership with John Herring, to compile their American Portrait Gallery which was later called National Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Americans. Between 1830 and 1839, he formed partnerships with other engravers to prepare banknote plates and other engravings of metal.
Chief engraver
The death of Christian GobrechtChristian Gobrecht
Christian Gobrecht was the third Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1835 until his death in 1844. He was responsible for designing the famous "Seated Liberty" designs, which were in turn the direct inspiration for the design of the Trade Dollar...
in July 1844 left the United States Mint
United States Mint
The United States Mint primarily produces circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint was created by Congress with the Coinage Act of 1792, and placed within the Department of State...
temporarily without an engraver. Through the influence of Senator John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent...
of South Carolina, Longacre secured the appointment. Mint director Robert M. Patterson
Robert M. Patterson
Robert Maskell Patterson was a professor of mathematics, chemistry and natural philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania and professor of natural philosophy at the University of Virginia before serving as director of the US Mint from 1835 to 1851...
and chief coiner Franklin Peale disliked Longacre's work. The officers of the Mint were Patterson's friends and relatives, who excluded Longacre socially. When Peale objected to Longacre's design for the 1849 double eagle
Double Eagle
A Double Eagle is a gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. . The coins are made from a 90% gold and 10% copper alloy....
, he and Patterson alleged that while Longacre was an excellent portrait engraver, he was incompetent as a coin engraver. While their claims gained some currency at the time, in the 1950s, numismatic historian Walter Breen exonerated him. In 1850, Patterson tried to offer Longacre's position to Charles Cushing Wright, but was unable to secure Longacre's dismissal. In 1854, Patterson's successor as Mint director, James Ross Snowden
James Ross Snowden
James Ross Snowden was treasurer of the United States Mint from 1847 to 1850, and director of the Mint from 1853 to 1861. A notable numismatist of his day, Snowden contributed to such publications as Bouvier's Law Dictionary as well as publishing several numismatic works of his own.-Published...
, fired Peale, who was using Mint facilities for private purposes. These changes of personnel relieved much of the pressure on Longacre.
During his quarter century as chief engraver, Longacre designed a large number of new United States coins. His works included the twenty-dollar gold piece, the gold dollar
Gold dollar
The gold dollar was a United States dollar coin produced from 1849 to 1889. Composed of 90% pure gold, it was the smallest denomination of gold currency ever produced by the United States federal government...
, the three-dollar piece
Three-dollar piece
The three-dollar piece was a United States coin produced from 1854 to 1889. Its value was intended to tie in with the postal system. At the time, a first class postage stamp was worth 3¢, and such stamps were often sold in sheets of one hundred stamps. Therefore, the three-dollar piece was...
, the Flying eagle
Flying Eagle cent
The Flying Eagle cent is a United States coin that was minted from 1856 to 1858. The coin was designed by James B. Longacre. The Flying Eagle was the first small-sized cent coin minted in the US, replacing the earlier large cent. The obverse of the coin depicts an eagle in flight, a unique subject...
and Indian head cent
Indian Head cent
The Indian Head one-cent coin, also known as an Indian Penny , was produced by the United States Mint from 1859 to 1909 at the Philadelphia Mint and in 1908 and 1909 at the San Francisco Mint...
s. He also designed the Shield nickel
Shield nickel
The Shield nickel was the first United States five cent piece to be made out of copper-nickel, the same alloy of which American nickels are struck today. Designed by James B. Longacre, the coin was issued from 1866 until 1883, when it was replaced by the Liberty Head nickel...
, two-cent piece
Two-cent piece (United States coin)
The two-cent coin was produced in the United States from 1864–1873 with decreasing mintages throughout that time. In terms of consumer price indexes, the 1864 coin would be comparable to $ in today's money....
and both the silver and nickel three-cent piece
Three-cent piece (United States coin)
The United States three cent piece was a unit of currency equaling 3/100th of a United States dollar. The mint produced two different three-cent coins: the three-cent silver and the three-cent nickel. Its purchasing power in 1851 would be equivalent to $ today.-History:The three cent coin has an...
. As a private contractor, he designed the Chilean coin series of 1867. He died in office on January 1, 1869. Longacre's work survived on American coinage until 1909, when the Indian head cent was replaced by the Lincoln cent. In 1928, Longacre was recognized in an exhibit of 100 notable American engravers sponsored by the New York Public Library.
Coins Designed
- Flying Eagle CentFlying Eagle centThe Flying Eagle cent is a United States coin that was minted from 1856 to 1858. The coin was designed by James B. Longacre. The Flying Eagle was the first small-sized cent coin minted in the US, replacing the earlier large cent. The obverse of the coin depicts an eagle in flight, a unique subject...
- Indian Head centIndian Head centThe Indian Head one-cent coin, also known as an Indian Penny , was produced by the United States Mint from 1859 to 1909 at the Philadelphia Mint and in 1908 and 1909 at the San Francisco Mint...
(1859-1909) - Two-cent PieceTwo-cent piece (United States coin)The two-cent coin was produced in the United States from 1864–1873 with decreasing mintages throughout that time. In terms of consumer price indexes, the 1864 coin would be comparable to $ in today's money....
- Three-cent piece (both silverSilverSilver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and nickelNickelNickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
) - Shield nickelShield nickelThe Shield nickel was the first United States five cent piece to be made out of copper-nickel, the same alloy of which American nickels are struck today. Designed by James B. Longacre, the coin was issued from 1866 until 1883, when it was replaced by the Liberty Head nickel...
- Liberty Head gold dollarGold dollarThe gold dollar was a United States dollar coin produced from 1849 to 1889. Composed of 90% pure gold, it was the smallest denomination of gold currency ever produced by the United States federal government...
- Three-dollar pieceThree-dollar pieceThe three-dollar piece was a United States coin produced from 1854 to 1889. Its value was intended to tie in with the postal system. At the time, a first class postage stamp was worth 3¢, and such stamps were often sold in sheets of one hundred stamps. Therefore, the three-dollar piece was...
- Liberty Head Double EagleDouble EagleA Double Eagle is a gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. . The coins are made from a 90% gold and 10% copper alloy....
(1849-1907)