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Sinking of 'Lusitania' Cast iron 1915 WWI Satirical medal by Karl Goetz, framed

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Sinking of ‘Lusitania’ Cast iron 1915 WWI Satirical medal by Karl Goetz

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Sinking of ‘Lusitania’ Cast iron 1915 WWI Satirical medal by Karl Goetz, framed

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Sinking of ‘Lusitania’ Cast iron 1915 WWI Satirical medal by Karl Goetz

On May 7, 1915, the passenger liner Lusitania was sunk by German submarine U-20 in British waters. Of the passengers, 1,198 drowned, including many women and children and 124 U.S. citizens. Public outrage spun quickly around the world.

Black and white photograph of a WWI-era passenger steamship — Photograph of the Lusitania, from the Illustrated War News, May 12, 1915U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing wrote of the reactions: “The news of the sinking of the Lusitania on May 7, 1915, sent a wave of horror throughout the country, particularly the East. The public denunciation of German barbarism was bitter. Many newspapers were outspoken in demanding an immediate severance of diplomatic relations with Germany, and no small number clamoured for war.”In August 1915, German artist Karl Goetz cast a commemorative medal depicting the May 7, 1915 sinking of the Lusitania. He intended it to be a metallic political cartoon, but it became a propaganda tool. On one side the Lusitania was shown sinking by its stern (it sunk bow first) with artillery pieces and airplanes on the deck. The captions (translated) relate: No Contraband Goods – The Liner Lusitania Sunk by a German Submarine – 5 May 1915. The reverse shows a skeleton selling tickets to long lines of unwary passengers, captioned (translated): Business Above All. A newspaper headline warns: U-Boat Danger.It was the May 5 date on the medal that verified to the British that the Germans pre-meditated the sinking, a cowardly act. In fact, artist Goetz simply got the date wrong from using an erroneous newspaper report. About 430 medals of the first version with the May 5 date were minted in Goetz’s home. He soon corrected the date to May 7, which is the Goetz-minted coin in the War at Sea exhibit case in the Main Gallery at the Museum and Memorial. There were between 41 to 45 medals of this version made. The Museum and Memorial has two in the collection.

Sinking of ‘Lusitania’ Cast iron 1915 WWI Satirical medal by Karl Goetz

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SKU: AQ994 Categories: Featured Items, World War I Tags: Lusitania medal, WW1

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