A concurrent RESOLUTION

 

TO REMEMBER AND HONOR HARRIETTE EUGENIA "HETTIE" ANDERSON, THE MODEL FOR THE STUNNING SAINT-GAUDENS DOUBLE EAGLE coin MINTED FROM 1907 TO 1933.

 

Whereas, born in Columbia in 1873, Harriette Eugenia "Hettie" Anderson is known as Saint Gaudens' model because she modeled for artistic masterpieces by Augustus Saint-Gaudens who described her as "the handsomest model of either sex" he had ever seen.  To coin collectors, she is remembered as the model for the stunning high-relief Saint-Gaudens double eagle gold coin; and

 

Whereas, Ms. Anderson moved to Manhattan where she worked as a clerk and seamstress while taking classes at the storied nonprofit school, the Art Students League.  Throughout the 1890s, she was an acclaimed model for well-known sculptors, most notably as the Saint-Gaudens model for "Victory" at the front of Central Park's William Tecumseh Sherman monument in New York City.  She died in 1938 at the age of sixty-four; and

 

Whereas, when her South Carolina roots were publicized in a November 2021 article in Numismatic News, the South Carolina Numismatic Association (SCNA) and the Midlands Coin Club (MCC) in Columbia joined efforts to install a headstone in Columbia's Elmwood Cemetery, where the acclaimed African American Gilded Age model is buried in an unmarked grave next to her mother's grave; and

 

Whereas, the organizations which promote and recognize numismatics in South Carolina, a State with a rich history of numismatics, split the costs, and MCC members provided the manpower.   Both organizations felt it was important to honor her as a fellow South Carolinian and to highlight her importance to their hobby; and

 

Whereas, the headstone's design was approved in late 2022 and, with the support of genealogist and researcher Karen Strickland and the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission, was installed on June 26, 2023, in Elmwood Cemetery; and

 

Whereas, the headstone carries a depiction of the obverse of the Saint-Gaudens double eagle and above it the text: "HARRIETTE EUGENIA / ANDERSON / 1873-1938 / HERE LIES THE GODDESS-LIKE MISS ANDERSON."  The text below the double eagle credits the SCNA and MCC in partnership with the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission for placing the marker; and

 

Whereas, prior to the erection of the headstone, the City of Columbia celebrated the installation of a Hettie Anderson Homesite historical marker in Columbia on the west side of Wayne Street, between Taylor and Blanding streets.  The marker, which has text on both sides, reads in part, "Harriette 'Hettie' Eugenia Anderson, acclaimed African American art model of the Gilded Age grew up in a house at this site."  On the opposite side appears, "Notable works for which she posed include Central Park's William T. Sherman Monument and the Saint-Gaudens double eagle coin"; and

 

Whereas, thirty numbered sets of special medals minted in silver, copper, and bronze were designed by SCNA Governor Will Gragg to honor Hettie Anderson, and some were sold to SCNA and MCC members to help finance the distribution of free medals. The limited remaining supply of free medals is being reserved for distribution at a gravesite commemorative event titled "Spirit of Life" being planned by Mr. Gragg and Ms. Strickland and tentatively slated for February in Black History Month or March in Women's History Month of 2024; and

 

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are grateful for the role that Hettie Anderson played in the cultural and artistic world of the Gilded Age and for the pride and recognition that her contributions have brought to the Palmetto State.  Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

 

That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, remember and honor Harriette Eugenia "Hettie" Anderson, the model for the stunning Saint-Gaudens double eagle coin minted from 1907 to 1933.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Harriette Eugenia "Hettie" Anderson.

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