SPANISH–AMERICAN WAR COMMEMORATIVE COPPER MIRROR, WITH RELIEFS OF DEWEY, SCHLEY, AND THE “MAINE”

American, ca. 1898–1900. Pressed and chased copper frame, designed to hang as a diamond, centering a square mirror; the border cast in high relief with patriotic motifs and Spanish–American War iconography: bust portraits titled “DEWEY” (left) and “SCHLEY”(right); below, a vignette of the battleship “MAINE” at anchor amid palm fronds; above, a shield between two uniformed soldiers beneath a ribbon “OUR BOYS OF ’98.” Additional ornament includes crossed cannon, drums, stacked rifles and tents, laurel sprays, and scrollwork. The back with original suspension loops. 18 1/4 x 18 1/4 x 5, mirror 8 x 8 in.

Elaborate patriotic souvenir pieces like this piece, uniting portraits of Admiral George Dewey and Commodore Winfield Scott Schley with the memorial image of the U.S.S. Maine, were produced for veterans and the home front in the immediate aftermath of 1898.

A striking, display-ready artifact of America’s emergence as a naval power.

Note: This lot cannot be packaged and shipped in-house. Successful bidders winning items marked as being packaged and shipped by a third-party service are responsible for paying the third party directly. We are happy to offer complimentary drop-off service to local third-party packing/shipping companies in Columbus, Ohio.