who is the person on the morgan silver dollar

[VonFelix]

The elegant profile gracing the iconic Morgan Silver Dollar is not that of a queen or a mythological figure, but a real American woman whose story is as captivating as the coin itself. The face of Lady Liberty on this beloved piece of currency belongs to Anna Willess Williams, a schoolteacher from Philadelphia.

The coin's designer, George T. Morgan, sought a model with a classic, strong American profile, and he found it in Anna. Initially, she was quite reluctant to pose for him. In the 1870s, she feared that the publicity could bring her unwanted notoriety and potentially cost her her teaching job. She only agreed to the five sittings after being persuaded by her friend, the painter Thomas Eakins.

Although Morgan and Williams intended to keep her identity a secret, a newspaper reporter eventually uncovered the story, and she became an overnight celebrity. Despite her face becoming one of the most recognized in American coinage, Anna Willess Williams remained a private person, continuing her career in education until she retired. So, when you admire a Morgan Dollar, you are looking at the likeness of a modest but remarkable woman who unexpectedly became the face of an era.