Awarded by the State of New York to Commander Hartstene for His Successful Rescue of Dr. Kane.

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This medal was awarded to Captain Henry Julius Hartstene (1812-1868) for the successful rescue of Dr. Elisha Kent Kane (1820-1857), the Artic explorer, in 1855. The obverse depicts two fur-clad men, a Native figure at left and Kane at right, standing on an ice shelf. Hartstene’s ship appears at left center. On the reverse is a representation of the Seal of the State of New York.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art