- Look first at the front
of the medal (the view without the inscription). Identify the book,
easel, etc. Why was the medal made? For what skills or achievements
might it have been awarded? Can you tell anything about the age, gender,
or ethnicity of the person who gave or received it?
- Read the inscription
of the reverse. What does this medal reveal about the goals of the
education of free blacks in the pre-Civil War era? Why is this medal
an important historical document?
- Search
the collection to find examples of samplers and other needlework
created by young girls. What do these objects together with the medal
reveal about the education of women in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries? Why was needlework so important? Lead a discussion: Was
needlework an art? Why or why not?
- Reverend David Alexander
Payne (1811-1893), who sponsored the competition and awarded the prizes,
was a free person of color who was a noted educator, university president,
and religious leader. Students can research education for African
Americans in the nineteenth century and the lives of leaders such
as Reverend Payne.
- Discuss ways in which
accomplishments are recognized and rewarded today. What kinds of achievements
do we reward today and why? What symbols do we use for accomplishment?
Compare and contrast the symbols and attributes in the Boy with
Toy Horse and in the Medal.
- Search
the collection to find other works of art in the Bayou Bend Collection
with symbols. As a class, create on the computer an illustrated glossary
of symbols in the art at Bayou Bend. The glossary should include the
name of each symbol, its meaning, and an image of the work in which
the symbol is found. Have each student contribute three entries to
the glossary.
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