Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

[Indian Peace Medal containing the image of Andrew Johnson]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01993.02 Author/Creator: Place Written: s.l. Type: Object Date: 1865 Pagination: 1 medal ; 6.2 cm diameter. Order a Copy

One side of this medal contains the bust of President Andrew Johnson. The reverse side contains an engraving of a Native American and an American colonist shaking hands while standing in front of an altar. George Washington's bust stands on top of the altar, and "peace" is written on the altar's side.

Indian Peace Medals were a symbol of the relationships between the United States federal government and Native Americans in the late 1700s and 1800s, and were common until the end of Johnson's term.

Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875
Washington, George, 1732-1799

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