Constance Ortmayer

Constance Ortmayer (July 19, 1902 – May 15, 1988) was an American artist well known for designing the 1936 Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar. Ortmayer was inspired to become an artist by her father, Rudolph Ortmayer, who worked as a lithographer. In 1926, Ortmayer began studying under Austrian born sculptor Franz Plunder. She graduated from the Royal Academy in Vienna, Austria and studied Master School of the Royal Academy. Upon returning to the United States in 1932, Ortmayer found difficulty gaining employment. With the assistance of her friend, a tutor of Treasury secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr. Ortmayer became employed with the Section of Painting and Sculpture, coordinating design contests for federal buildings. In 1937, she ended her employment with the Section. Soon after, she was recruited as a sculpture instructor at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, by the current president, Hamilton Holt.

Ortmayer was awarded commissions to design and create two bas reliefs for post offices in Arcadia, Florida, and Scottsboro, Alabama, as a result of her entering a national design competition. The Arcadia relief, completed in 1939, is titled Arcadia. It features five people (two men, a woman and two children) with a cow and her calf. The second relief, completed in 1940, is titled Alabama Agriculture. It features three separate panels, each depicting different stages of crop harvest. In 1941, Ortmayer was promoted to assistant professor of sculpture in 1941. In 1945, she was further promoted to associate professor. She reached the status of professor of sculpture in 1947. During her career at Rollins, Ortmayer created a number of award–winning medals. Ortmayer retired in 1968. She died on May 15, 1988.

Early life and employment at the Section of Painting and Sculpture Constance Ortmayer was born July 19, 1902, in New York. Her interest in art was inspired by her father, who worked as a lithographer. In 1968, Ortmayer resigned from Rollins college. She died, aged 85, having never married. The obverse of the coin was to depict Stephen Foster, and the reverse a design emblematic of the goddess of music. The coin was to be dated 1886–1936. Despite the facts that there was no music-related celebration occurring in Cincinnati during that year, that Stephen Foster's connection to Cincinnati was dubious (he had worked for his brother as a bookkeeper for three years in the 1840s), that the year of 1886 did not seem to hold any special relevance to Cincinnati music and that the Cincinnati Musical Center was unknown to any of the established Cincinnati musical groups of the time, the mintage of 15,000 coins was authorized by the act of March 31, 1936. The coins were to be sold at $7.75 per three coin set consisting of one coin from each mint; Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. Ortmayer was commissioned to design the coin by the Cincinnati Musical Center. Her obverse design depicts a stylized bust of Stephen Foster, directly below which is the phrase "STEPHEN FOSTER–AMERICA'S TROUBADOUR". Along the periphery of the obverse is "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and "HALF DOLLAR". The reverse depicts a kneeling allegorical figure representing music. The figure is holding a lyre. On either side are the anniversary dates of 1886 and 1936. Directly below the figure is "IN GOD WE TRUST" "E PLURIBUS UNUM" and "LIBERTY". Displayed peripherally is "CINCINNATI A MUSIC CENTER OF AMERICA".