U.S. Grant Let Us Have Peace

Object NamePlate

Manufacturer Gillinder & Sons (American (Philadelphia, PA; Greensburg, PA), 1861 - 1891)

Manufacturer Adams & Company (American (Pittsburgh, PA), b. 1861 - 1891)

Datec.1885

OriginUSA

MediumNon-flint clear pressed glass

Dimensions10 1/2 x 10 1/2 in. (26.7 x 26.7 cm)

ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Glass

Credit LineA gift given by Faith Fennimore, Onondaga Questers #1200, in memory of Mildred Mogue. In the Iowa Quester Glass Collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberUM98.48

Status

On view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextThe death of Ulysses S. Grant on July 23rd, 1885, was a shock to the nation. The American public had only learned of his battle with throat cancer a few months prior, which resulted in widespread public mourning for the loss of both a beloved general and a respected former president. Nearly one million people gathered in New York City to witness his funeral procession, an extraordinary demonstration of national mourning. In the wake of Grant’s death, commemorative items such as decorative plates were produced. At the Peace Plate’s center is a portrait of Grant, with his 1868 presidential campaign slogan “Let Us Have Peace” etched above him. This phrase captured Grant’s commitment to both national unity as well as the pursuing of Reconstruction in the postwar South. That vision was symbolically realized in his funeral. The procession was led by General Grenville M. Dodge and included both Union and Confederate veterans marching together in a remarkable act of unity. Grant’s pallbearers included Union generals William T. Sherman and Philip Sheridan, as well as former Confederate generals Joseph E. Johnston and Simon Bolivar Buckner, underscoring Grant’s enduring legacy as the savior of the Union and a unifier in a divided nation. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/grant-funeral/ “Essentially American: General Grenville M. Dodge and Family” William Feis, 2017.

Locations