Art Union of London

The Art Union of London was founded in 1837 with the purpose of fostering interest in the arts and encouraging British artists, as well as the makers of decorative objects. Members paid an annual subscription of one guinea, for which they received an engraving and were entered into a drawing for prizes.

In 1842, a series of medals was planned as one of the organization’s initiatives to stimulate interest in medallic art. Approximately thirty silver medals were struck and offered as prizes in the drawing, while bronze examples were available to subscribers as an alternative to the print.

At its peak, the membership exceeded 20,000, but very few subscribers chose to receive a medal instead of a print. The mintage of bronze medals is estimated to be around 200, with later issues being rarer than the earlier ones. The medals and detailed information about their design and production are described in a paper by G.K. Beaulah, published in the British Numismatic Journal in 1967