What is the allegorical significance of the tethered alligator on the obverse of the John Stewart Co

Longacre

I have been reading John Adams' Comitia Americana book and I am learning a lot. For the John Stewart medal, the book describes the obverse as follows:

"Stewart, hat in left hand partially hidden, steps forward from the left to receive a palm branch from an allegorial America standing to the right. America is represented by a crowned female indian, clad from the waist down, a tethered alligator at her feet, with her left hand resting on a striped shield."


Does anyone know the signfiicance of the tethered alligator? What does it symbolize? I tried to quickly find a picture online of the medal to post, but I could not find one.

Barndog

how about the alligator is Britain?

lordmarcovan

Perhaps a reusing of a very old classical symbol from the time of Augustus.

Some of his coins featured a crocodile tethered to a palm tree.




I guess this had something to do with the conquest of Egypt by the Romans, with the crocodile symbolizing Egypt. In Egypt and the Nile, of course, we're talkin' crocodiles, whereas in an American context, it would, of course, be an alligator. What the alligator symbolizes in the context of an American medal I can't quite say, but I have a feeling that the symbol was borrowed from the Romans, as so much was by our founding fathers and ancestors. They were really big on neoclassicism.

I am not familiar with the medal of which you speak. Have a picture? (Edit- never mind- I see Barndog was busy while I was typing.)

The tethered alligator/crocodile motif struck a chord in my mind, though, being a new collector of Roman coins. My Augustus bronze is not of the crocodile type, though.

keets

Alligator - Aggression, survival, adaptability. Cunning, deceptive.

given the above symbolic meaning, it seems clear that the message depicted on the medal is that Stewart is not to be trusted and his gift of Peace is a lie aimed at gaining trust. further, right denoted primary thought, so while the gift is accepted the hand resting on the Shield is a clear indication that some doubt or reservation exists.

of course, since the Alligator is at the feet of the Indian Chieftess, perhaps she is suckering Stewart!!!

Pistareen

Since the alligator is not found in the Old World (those are all crocodiles), it was often used in the 17th-18th centuries to represent the New World.

There is actually a Franco-American jeton where an alligator is used to represent, of all places, Canada. Usually the alligator is combined with a female figure who is rendered as an Indian princess.

Strange but true.