French medal "In memory of the War of 1870-1871"

The medal has the shape of a regular circle, with a diameter of 30 mm. It is known that the large jewelry organization "Arthus-Bertrand" produced versions with a diameter of 36.5 mm. It was made of bronze, but there are versions made of silver or silver-plated bronze. As a rule, officers ordered them for themselves. The medals were made at the mint in Paris, or in private organizations. The master medallist is Georges Lemaire (French). The obverse depicts Marianne in an antique military helmet and armor. She is facing to the left. The model was the opera actress Fernanda Dubois. On the sides there is an inscription "REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE" ("Republic of France"). In the lower left corner are the initials of the master medallist "Georges Lemaire". On the reverse there is a cartouche in the center with the inscription "AUX DÉFENSEURS DE LA PATRIE" ("Defenders of the Motherland"). There is an anchor below, and a large number of weapons on the sides: cannons, rifles, sabers, a bugle and a drum. In the center, above the cartouche, there is a banner. It bears the inscription "honneur et patrie" ("honor and homeland"). On the sides of the banner are the inscriptions "1870" and "1871" — the dates of the beginning and end of the Franco-Prussian War. In the lower left corner there is a stamp, the Latin letter "L" in the letter "G" are the initials of the master medallist. In the lower right corner, in the version of the Paris Mint, there is the brand "BR" (short for BRONZE), and the cornucopia is the coat of arms of the Paris Mint. The ribbon of the medal is made of moire silk, 36 mm wide. It has alternating green and black stripes. There are 5 green stripes and 4 black ones. Black means mourning, and green means the desire to return Alsace and Lorraine, which were annexed at that time. It was attached to the clothes through a special pin.

The medal "In Memory of the War of 1870-1871" (French Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1870-1871) is a commemorative state award of France, established on November 9, 1911. The Franco-Prussian War left its influence in medal art. A large number of awards have been created in several countries at once. For example, in the German Empire, the medal for this campaign was state and quite honorable. In Belgium, there was a separate medal for soldiers mobilized for this campaign. In France, the situation was worse — due to the changes after the war, there was not one common veterans' organization, there were many of them, and each of them established its own insignia in the form of medals. This problem was resolved only on the 40th anniversary of the defeat, by establishing a nationwide award. The following war participants were awarded this medal: Army and Navy personnel, National Guard soldiers, and partisans. The statute of the medal was amended by a decree of the Senate dated February 1, 1912. In addition to the above, doctors, nurses, and priests were also awarded