The Italian-American sculptor whose Peace dollar expressed the postwar ideal through a youthful Liberty and a resting eagle.
Biography
De Francisci emigrated from Italy, studied at Cooper Union, and worked with established American sculptors. His winning 1921 dollar design used his wife Teresa as a model for Liberty without functioning as a literal portrait.
Style and legacy
The design uses Art Deco-inflected rays, clean lettering, and broad planar modeling. The reverse eagle stands at rest above the word PEACE rather than carrying traditional martial symbols. The Peace dollar closed the classic large circulating silver-dollar era and returned as a modern numismatic issue in 2021, requiring new production interpretation.