James Pollock portrait, 1876


Permanent ID:
13768
Date:
1876
Image Description:
Portrait of James Pollock (1810-1890) from the second of two photograph albums of important Philadelphians created by W. Curtis Taylor and Company for the Centennial Exhibition. Pollock was the 13th Governor of the State of Pennsylvania from 1855 to 1858.  During his administration, Pennsylvania began to sell its publicly held railroads and canals, and he helped steer the state through the financial Panic of 1857.  He chaired the Pennsylvania delegation to the Peace Conference of 1861, and was appointed by President Lincoln as Director of the Philadelphia mint that same year.  While leading the United States Mint, he was instructed by the Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase in a letter to come up with suggestions for including "the trust of our people in God" in a motto on America's coins.  Pollock proposed a number of mottos, including "Our Trust Is In God" and "God Our Trust," which Chase ultimately revised to "In God We Trust."  The 1864 two-cent piece was the first coin with the approved motto and today all American coins are inscribed with “In God We Trust.”

This digital record contains one image that depicts one portrait from box 115 (labeled as: "Representative Men of Phila. 1876").
Address:
914 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
Format:
Photographs
Dimensions:
Width: 30 cm, Height: 36 cm
Collection:
Herbert Welsh Collection
Related Person or Organization:
W. Curtis Taylor And Company (creator)
Library of Congress Subjects:
Pollock, James [info:lc/authorities/names/n2012067232]
Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.) [info:lc/authorities/names/n50057204]