United States presidential inauguration

===Presidential medals===
[[File:Presidential Medals 019.jpg|thumb|A presidential medal from the inauguration of [[Theodore Roosevelt]] in 1905]]
Beginning with George Washington, there has been a traditional association with Inauguration festivities and the production of a [[Presidential Inaugural Medals|presidential medal]]. With the District of Columbia attracting thousands of attendees for inauguration, presidential medals were an inexpensive souvenir for the tourists to remember the occasion. However, the once-simple trinket turned into an official presidential election memento. In 1901, the first Inauguration Committee<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://president-inauguration-2017.blogspot.com/2017/01/presidential-inaugural-committee-2017.html|title=Presidential Inaugural Committee Announces Inaugural Parade Participant Lineup|access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=February 2021}} on Medals and Badges was established as part of the official Inauguration Committee for the re-election of President McKinley. The Committee saw official medals as a way to raise funding for the festivities. Gold medals were to be produced as gifts for the president, vice president, and committee chair; silver medals were to be created and distributed among Inauguration Committee members, and bronze medals would be for sale for public consumption. McKinley's medal was simple with his portrait on one side and writing on the other side.<ref>MacNeil, Neil. ''The President's medal, 1789–1977''. New York: Published in association with the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, by C. N. Potter, 1977.</ref>

Unlike his predecessor, when Theodore Roosevelt took his oath of office in 1905, he found the previous presidential medal unacceptable. As an art lover and admirer of the ancient Greek high-relief coins, Roosevelt wanted more than a simple medal—he wanted a work of art. To achieve this goal, the president hired [[Augustus Saint-Gaudens]], a famous American sculptor, to design and create his inauguration medal. Saint-Gaudens' obsession with perfection resulted in a forestalled release and the medals were distributed after the actual inauguration. Nonetheless, President Roosevelt was very pleased with the result. Saint-Gaudens' design, executed by [[Adolph A. Weinman]], was cast by [[Tiffany & Co.|Tiffany & Company]] and was proclaimed an artistic triumph.<ref name="histIM">{{cite web|url=http://www.loriferber.com/research/inaugural-facts-statistics/history-of-the-inaugural-medal.html|title=History of the Official Inaugural Medal|last=Levine|first=H. Joseph|publisher=Lori Ferber Collectibles|access-date=January 27, 2017}}</ref> Saint-Gaudens' practice of creating a portrait sculpture of the newly elected president is still used today in presidential medal creation. After the president sits for the sculptor, the resulting clay sketch is turned into a life mask and plaster model. Finishing touches are added and the epoxy cast that is created is used to produce the die cuts. The die cuts are then used to strike the president's portrait on each medal.<ref>Levine, H. Joseph. ''Collectors Guide to Presidential Medals and Memorabilia''. Danbury, Conn.: Johnson & Jensen, 1981.</ref>

From 1929 through 1949, the official medal was struck by the [[United States Mint|U.S. Mint]]. This changed in 1953 when the [[Medallic Art Company]] was chosen to strike [[Walker Hancock]]'s portrait of President Eisenhower. The official medals have been struck by private mints ever since.<ref name="histIM"/> [[The Smithsonian Institution]] and [[The George Washington University]] hold the two most complete collections of presidential medals in the United States.

[[Gerald Ford]]'s unscheduled inauguration also had a medal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/gerald-r-ford-presidential-inaugural-medal-87045|title=Gerald R. Ford Presidential Inaugural Medal |website=Smithsonian American Art Museum}}</ref>