Why is lady liberty so ugly?
Panda4456
Posts: 362 ✭✭✭
So... why is lady liberty so ugly? You would think they would pick a nice looking woman if they are going to print it on our coins for everyone to see. I heard that the used ugly models on purpose because it was considered inappropriate to have beautiful women on coins. Is this true? Almost every lady liberty depiction has ugly noses and a deformed looking body. There are a couple decent designs but most of them are ugly.
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I had a male roommate that looks like the Morgan Liberty.
And yes I threw Benjamin in there for laughs
I don't have an answer, but I would guess that classical beauty would be hard to pull off on a coin. With that said, the half dollar is about as good as I've seen Ben Franklin look in any rendering. He, of course, is no classic beauty.
He was my second favorite President!
My mind always goes to "dude" when I look at a Barber, can't help it. Looks like a likeness of Apollo.
OP: Ben was no lady.
She was Always ugly.
The aesthetics of the portrayal of Liberty on American coins is an interesting topic.
Personally, I would describe Liberty on the Barber or Morgan as “formidable” and definitely not “ugly”.
I sure hope you're kidding. He was never President.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Yeah, I think she would put up a good fight against Floyd Mayweather.
Someone make it happen!
And Alexander Hamilton is my favorite President!
There is a bruiser on the Matron copper too.
Your thread challenges my reality in that I’m wondering why I collect ugly things so passionately. Am I in the matrix?
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
They look like sturdy types who would hold up well to the often harsh life of the 19th century. Farm work, many children, home chores and more would be of great importance in that era.
Liberty was meant to look more like a mother figure, a matron, not so much your hot neighbor.
The 20 dollar eagle lady liberty is better looking
The images of Liberty from the 1790's are much more pleasing:
Liberty on the Peace Dollar is pretty.... The others... well, they had great personalities...
Cheers, RickO
What's a "20 dollar eagle"? Did you mean "Double Eagle"?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Who says that your standards of beauty vs. ugliness are valid?
First thing that popped into my mind, if the coinage was beautifully appealing, you may not want to part with it through commerce,
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'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'
'Beauty in the eye of the beholder' has a literal meaning - that the perception of beauty is subjective - what one person finds beautiful another may not.
This saying first appeared in the 3rd century BC in Greek. It didn't appear in English and in its current form in print until the 19th century, but in the meantime there were various written forms that expressed much the same thought. In 1588, the English dramatist John Lyly, in his Euphues and his England, wrote:
"...as neere is Fancie to Beautie, as the pricke to the Rose, as the stalke to the rynde, as the earth to the roote."
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When I was a kid I thought Barber was the name of the dude on the Barber Quarter.
What about President Jed Bartlet or President Dave?
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
I like the $10 Indian liberty, the peace dollar and the type 2 gold dollar, 3 cent nickel, too
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No. It was Barbara.
Barbara Quarter.
The 15 cent is a looker, too.
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Not really. They look like male rockstars
Pretty face here, (in my opinion)
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WE often hear those excuses - that the 19th century was so rough. How about FIVE CENTURIES BEFORE CHRIST when we had Venus de Milo?//
Well, just Love coins, period.
They all look beautiful when encapsulated.
"Beauty is in the Eyes of the HOLDER", really.
Pete
Walkiing Liberty has some grace and beauty from afar.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
And up close that looks like a dude wearing a dress LOL
Panda, why don't you show us your idea of an attractive female profile.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
I think you have put too much thought into the sexual appeal of a female on a coin...😉
Historical appeal, where the coin has been and the stories it could tell... Well to me that's attractive.
This girl here, she's sexy as hell!
carp
Like our country, “Ms. Liberty” has gone through transitions from the late 19th and early 20th century although the chronology isn’t perfect and there is overlap…
Early/young stage
Exploration stage
Pre-Op
Early Post Op
Mature
The African Queen stares into the sunset:
I think some of you folks need to get out a bit more.
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
Maybe it was. Look at that nose and that chin!
He is kind of an androgynous looking fellow at times...
Robert Scot introduced the classical influence on US Mint coinage in 1795 with the Draped Bust gold, coinciding with the neo-classical movement in art and architecture in the US and Europe. The proportion and attributes of the classical profile was documented in the instructional guides that Scot illustrated before his Mint appointment, and his influence on classical design of coinage continued for over 100 years. The Barber and Morgan coinage used the proportions and shape of classic Grecian profiles.
The 2015 Gold Ultra High Relief that should have been..... This would have been a beautiful Lady Liberty.
The standards for beauty change over time. There was a time when a fairly hefty woman was considered beautiful because it was thought to be a sign of good health.
I don't think that the pictures you posted are all than ugly. The lady on the Indian $10 gold was considered to be the classical profile at the time.
If you want to see an ugly woman check out the face that Christian Gobrecht put on his Liberty Seated Half Dimes and Dimes. This is ugly.
I like the $10:
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Would you prefer a hot California beach baby?
One of the few renderings I do like is on the Merc
Looks like a flapper from the 20’s.