Teresa Cafarelli de Francisci (May 4, 1898 – October 20, 1990) was an American woman who is best known for being the model for the depiction of

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

on the obverse of the

Peace Dollar The Peace dollar is a United States dollar coin minted for circulation from 1921 to 1928 and in 1934 and 1935, and beginning again in 2021. Designed by Anthony de Francisci, the coin was the result of a competition to find designs emblematic of ...

, which was designed by her husband Anthony de Francisci.

Personal life

De Francisci was born Maria "Mary" Teresa Cafarelli in

Laurenzana Laurenzana ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the region of Basilicata (southern Italy). It rises on a spur between the torre Camastro and the wood surrounding the Serrapotamo valley. History Laurenzana's origins ...

a town south of

Naples, Italy Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

to Donatantonio "Donato" and Rosagnese "Rosa" Emma. When she was four years old, she and her mother emigrated to the United States. She was raised in

Clinton, Massachusetts Clinton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,428 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Clinton, please see the article Clinton (CDP), Massach ...

, graduating from Clinton High School in 1918. De Francisci was the first person of Italian descent to graduate the school. She married Anthony de Francisci in 1920.Van Allen & Mallis, p. 410 Anthony de Francisci died on August 20, 1964. Teresa de Francisci died 26 years later, on October 20, 1990, at the age of 92.

Peace dollar model

In 1921, the

United States Commission of Fine Arts The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the U ...

held a contest in order to determine who would design the new silver dollar that was to be issued as a commemorative of peace. The coin was slated to go into production later that year. Eight sculptors were invited to take part. The artists invited were

Chester Beach Chester A. Beach (May 23, 1881 – August 6, 1956) was an American sculptor who was known for his busts and medallic art. Early life Beach was born in San Francisco, California. He studied initially at the California School of Mechanical Arts ...

Victor David Brenner Victor David Brenner (born Avigdor David Brenner; June 12, 1871 – April 5, 1924) was an American sculptor, engraver, and medalist known primarily as the designer of the United States Lincoln Cent. Biography Brenner was born to Jewish parents ...

, Anthony de Francisci,

John Flanagan John Flanagan or Jack Flanagan may refer to: Sportspeople * Jack Flanagan (footballer) (1902–1989), English footballer * John Flanagan (hammer thrower) (1868–1938), Irish-American three-time Olympic champion in athletics * John Flanagan (Limeri ...

Henry Hering Henry Hering (February 15, 1874 – January 15, 1949) was an American sculptor. Early career He was a student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens at Cooper Union and of Philip Martiny at the Art Students League of New York. He then went to Paris wher ...

Hermon Atkins MacNeil Hermon Atkins MacNeil (February 27, 1866 – October 2, 1947) was an American sculptor born in Everett, Massachusetts. He is known for designing the ''Standing Liberty'' quarter, struck by the Mint from 1916-1930; and for sculpting ''Justi ...

and

Adolph Alexander Weinman Adolph Alexander Weinman (December 11, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was a Germany-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor. Early life and education Adolph Alexander Weinman was born December 11, 1870 at Durmersheim, near Karlsruhe, Germ ...

. De Francisci's design was eventually chosen. As winner of the contest, de Francisci was awarded $1,500; the other seven participants were awarded $100 for their entries. Due to time constraints, de Francisci was unable to schedule a professional model to pose for the

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...

depiction of

. Instead, he opted to model his depiction of Liberty on his wife. In describing his technique, he stated "I opened a window of my studio and let the wind blow on her hair while she was posing for me." The sculptor later stated that though his wife was the model for the coin, it did not depict a perfect likeness. In remarks published by the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1922, de Francisci states that "the Liberty is not a photograph of Mrs. de Francisci. It is a composite face and in that way typifies something of America." The Peace dollar officially went into production on December 29, 1921.Van Allen & Mallis, p. 411 The coin was minted yearly from 1921 to 1928, and again in 1934 and 1935., p. 223

References

Bibliography

{{DEFAULTSORT:de Francisci, Teresa 1898 births 1990 deaths Numismatics Italian emigrants to the United States People from Clinton, Massachusetts American artists' models