Waldheimat Representations of Authority and Revolution in 1848

	REPRESENTATIONS OF AUTHORITY AND REVOLUTION, CIRCA1848

Among the hallmarks of the new revolutionary era was the return to the symbols of the old.

At right, a button (brass on wood) from the First Republic:

• fasces
• Phrygian cap ("Liberty Cap")
• oak leaves

The revolutionaries' sense of history was, if anything, too strong.

The new revolutions also began, however, to create a new political culture.

The following draws upon examples of popular political emblems and mementoes. Medallic culture had a strong tradition in France but it acquired new life in the middle of the 19th century. Perhaps because the Revolution moved so fast and lasted so briefly, and because it mobilized the masses as never before, we find many items that are small or made of base metal. Noteworthy, too, is the die-punched eye (parallel to the horizontal surface of the object) on many pieces, which enabled ready manufacture of emblems that could be worn on the clothing for public display. (More elegant or formal pieces had attached eyes perpendicular to the medal's surface, which usually entailed the addition of a separate metal loop for attaching to a ribbon.)