Victor David Brenner (Lithuanian, 1871-1924)

Brenner is best known as the designer of the US Lincoln cent. He moved to the US in 1890 and continued the trade of his family, gem and seal engraving, and then studied with famous French medalist Oscar Roty at the Académie Julian. He exhibited at the Paris Exposition of 1900 and returned to the US where his career prospered. Brenner’s design for the cent was hand-picked by President Theodore Roosevelt, who had posed for him in New York as he had become one of the most popular medalists.