Published by
Zoe Walters
The Morgan and Peace silver dollars are two of the most iconic and collected American coins. However, many people may not realize the significance that the coins played throughout history for the lives of many people, especially for Anna Willess Williams and Teresa de Francisci, whose portraits were used for the iconic Morgan dollar and Peace dollar respectively.
Anna Willess Williams was an educator from Philadelphia, who agreed to have her portrait sketched by George T. Morgan, who was at the time, an assistant engraver at the US Mint and was tasked with designing the new silver dollar. Whilst the silver dollar bearing Anna‘s portrait became an overnight success, especially due to Anna‘s classical beauty for the era and for her striking profile; it quickly became evident that Anna‘s attempt to remain anonymous would be short-lived.
*Image from PCGS.com
The era in which the silver dollar was released for public circulation was an era in which a woman’s reputation could easily be tarnished. Unfortunately for Anna, she reluctantly gained unwanted attention, public scrutiny, whilst simultaneously becoming a legendary symbol for American pride. Anna‘s sudden national fame and recognition dwarfed and overshadowed her career as an educator and the constant intrusion upon her personal life led to Anna not marrying and instead becoming a recluse with bouts of depression.
One could surmise that neither George T. Morgan or Anna Willess Williams anticipated or expected that the silver dollar would become such an iconic coin within the American numismatic community for more than two centuries. It is evident that it would no doubt remain a popular collectable coin for many more centuries to come. Anna‘s personal sacrifice, albeit unintentional, led to all subsequent numismatists valuing the Morgan silver dollar so highly that they became synonymous with American history.
Conversely, the subsequent silver dollar that succeeded the Morgan silver dollar was designed by Anthony de Francisci who used his wife’s profile on the coin which subsequently became known as the Peace silver dollar. Teresa de Francisci became the iconic face of the Peace Dollar.
*Image from PCGS.com
The coin was created to commemorate peace following World War I. The profile and coin became an iconic representation of liberty and peace. Some may believe that it is not purely a symbol of liberty, but also symbolizing hope for a better future, which in essence was the sentiment of the post World War I era.
The peace dollar became a significant collectible piece for numismatists. However, very little is known about Teresa and her life. Teresa immigrated from Naples, Italy to the United States when she was four years of age and was raised in Clinton, Massachusetts. Teresa had auditioned for the part of Lady Liberty in many school productions but was not ultimately chosen to be Lady Liberty.
The conclusion that could be drawn from the lives of both women who were iconic and represented decades and centuries of legacy and American history is that both women chose to live quiet, peaceful lives without wanting publicity and notoriety.
However, for Anna, her legacy was iconic yet a tragedy in respect of the unwanted and unexpected fame and invasion of her privacy. In respect of Teresa, given that very little is known about her private life and of the impact in which becoming the face of the peace dollar had on her life and future; It would be difficult to determine how much it affected her life.
What is known, however, is that both women left a legacy that would be remembered for many more centuries to come. Such a responsibility would ultimately place an unintended burden upon an individual and we, as numismatists, should remember and be conscious that these were in fact real people who lived real lives.
