HERITAGE: MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

The Massachusetts Horticultural Society was founded in 1829, and from the beginning some of its primary objectives were "recognition and reward for accomplishments in horticulture." Initially, awards were generally cash prizes given to individuals who were recognized as advancing the Society's objectives. However, in 1845, award medals began to be issued.

The Society's medals and awards went through numerous changes over the course of the ensuing century, not only in design and purpose, but in how liberally they were handed out. By the early 20th century, cash prizes were entirely replaced, and the medal system was redefined.

Perhaps one of the most distinctive of the Society's awards was the large size gold medal designed by Francis Napoleon Mitchell. The obverse design featured two allegorical female figures: Pomona and Ceres, holding grapes and flowers, while the primary motifs of the reverse were a wreath of garlands surrounded by the legend MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The goddess Pomona in Roman mythology represented fruitful abundance, her name being derived from the Latin pomum, meaning "fruit." Ceres' complementary association is clear, her being the Roman goddess of agriculture, grain crops, and fertility. During the 19th century, when classical motifs and figures were paramount to medallic art, these figures were well suited to the Society's largest gold award. Francis Napoleon Mitchell was a prominent Boston medalist and diesinker during the early to mid-1800s, until about 1860, with a long list of medal designs attributed to him. Several medals bearing his designs can be found in the ANS and Smithsonian collections.

An excerpt from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society on Honorary Medals reads:

"[The medal] was designated for 'gardens showing unusual skill in arrangement and management; garden superintendents who have done eminent service in the promotion of horticulture; other persons or entities for eminent horticultural accomplishments or outstanding service to this Society.' Initially this medal was rarely given; later gold medals were given for a wide variety of accomplishments. In 1932, the Society determined that the Society's Large Gold Medal should be reserved for gardens of unusual merit or for individuals for eminent services to horticulture or the Society. Later, the criteria for the award was changed to 'for eminent horticultural accomplishments or for outstanding service to the Society.'"

Lot 52098 in Heritage's February 16th Certified American Tokens & Medals Showcase auction is one of these large gold medals with the Pomona and Ceres motif. It is engraved on the reverse to Mrs. Lester Leland for "Old Fashioned Garden" and is dated March 25, 1930. The 51mm medal is 14k gold and weighs nearly three troy ounces (1.71 ounces actual gold weight). Mrs. Lester Leland was apparently an individual who long participated in various floral, garden, and horticultural pastimes, her name appearing in flower exhibits and horticultural contests as early as 1906, and possibly earlier. For many of her exhibitions, she won prizes, often placing second or third in various contests. The Society's large gold medal presented here may have been one she saw as a crowning achievement. Her "old fashioned garden," for which the medal was awarded, was exhibited at the M.H.S. Flower Show in Boston, on March 27, 1930. At least two other gold medals for horticulture were awarded to Mrs. Lester Leland, including a small gold M.H.S. medal on March 26, 1925, for a rock garden, and a Lord & Burnham Co. gold medal awarded on August 25, 1909. The latter piece also appears in the current Heritage Showcase auction as lot 52094.

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