Cyrus Field Congressional Medal

William Barber

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Two black and white images of a medal side by side on a light gray background with a thick black line down the middle separating them. The medal on the left has a raised outer rim with a pattern. Inside the rim, along the top edge, are the words "Resolution of the Congress of the United States" and a date. Below that are several lines of text and an emblem on four lines reading: "to Cyrus Wm. Field of New York for ... Atlantic Telegraph". Underneath is another line of text on two parts: "Establishing Telegraphic Communication Across the Atlantic". The last line of text reads "Connecting the Old with the New World". The bottom has a raised circle with etched floral designs on either side. The medal on the right shows a raised portrait of a man in profile facing right. The man has short hair and a leafy wreath above his head. Behind the man are three ships on water. Along the top edge are the words "Honor and the Sea are the Prizes". The bottom of the medal has engraved text. The medals are both circular.