CM: This medallion was struck to commemorate the International Exposition of Chicago, which was dedicated to the period 1833-1933, referred to as "A Century of Progress", marked by the advances in the fields of research and industry. The obverse shows a naked man with a loincloth stylized horizontally, his body masterfuly arching over the foundations of two equal-in-height pillars, which he covers protectively with his stretched hands on either side - Research on the left and Industry on the right. The reverse shows an aerial view of the exposition in fine detail. The medallion was designed by Emil Robert Zettler, who fashioned the medallion in the Art Deco mode, characterized by stylized organic forms (such as the man's figure in a rigid position combining front and profile aspects; and the emblem of Research in the form of a branch) and geometrized artificial shapes (such as the loincloth covering the man's nudity; the base on which he stands; and the emblem of Industry in the form of a grid).
