Letter
Dear Ms. Fore:
At its meeting on 20 February, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed designs for silver and bronze medals to be issued in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The members' preferences were as follows:
Obverse:
The obverse designs selected were those marked A, C, E, and G. For Design A, it was recommended that the branches be pulled back somewhat so that they are not so close to the eagle, particularly to the tail feathers; at coin size they will interfere with the strength of the bird. For Design C, it was observed that while it was a handsome design when viewed alone, its lack of anything in the background made it look slightly out of place with the others in the series. It was realized, however, that it might be impossible to add anything to this design without weakening it, and so the request was that the artist take another look and see if he has any suggestions. We would be happy to look at any revisions that might be made, to this or any of the other coins. In Design E, the off-center placement of the short word "elk" seemed a bit distracting; perhaps the animal could be moved up and "elk" centered at the bottom, somewhat as it is in Design F.
Reverse:
The choice in this category was Design N. There were no particular objections to Design I,but the full-length portrait of Roosevelt dressed in his "woodsman" clothes seemed more appropriate for commemorating his role as a conservationist. If the figure could be made slightly larger, with perhaps some adjustment in the lettering, it would be more impressive.
Sincerely,
/s/Harry G. Robinson III
Harry G. Robinson III, FAIA
Chairman
The Honorable Henrietta Holsman Fore, Director
United States Mint
801 9th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20220