Hahlo-54-60, Desmond FitzGerald medal

American Numismatic Society, 1987.147.129.

54 . Reverse of the Desmond Fitzgerald [sic] medal.

60. The Desmond Fitzgerald [sic] medal, Boston Society of Civil Engineers.

Desmond FitzGerald (1846-1926) was an important hydraulic engineer who specialized in developing waterworks for major cities across the U.S. The medal was his idea, intended as a prize for papers presented to the Boston Society of Civil Engineers. He requested that the medal be bronze so that it would be valued as a testimonial and not for its intrinsic worth. FitzGerald was also an early collector and patron of Claude Monet (1840-1926) and a Trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.