25 - Twenty-Five Goldbacks

Fortitudine (Fortitude)

Fortitudine, or Fortitude, makes her second appearance in a Goldback series in New Hampshire’s 25 Goldback Denomination design. She is clothed in a military coat of a minute-man, and is wearing a dress that includes the vertical red and white stripes that were used by the early rebel colonists, which were ultimately included horizontally in the United States flag. She is leaning a musket over one shoulder and has a powder horn in the opposite hand, both understood as being captured from Fort William and Mary as illustrated in the 10 Goldback Design. Next to her stands a miniature depiction of New Hampshire’s famous granite monument featuring the state’s motto: "Live Free or Die", and the caption beneath her reads "Take Courage".

At her feet are a mother and baby porcupines, representing the emotion of being loving and calm, but having the quills to stand your ground and protect your own when necessary. Behind Fortitudine is a maple tree in early spring with a tap and bucket, representing the fortitude of the tree through the winter, whose pulsing sap, as the temperatures warm, brings life back to the tree itself and energy and joy to those who count on it. Also in the background the viewer can see a depiction of Mount Washington and the historic Mount Washington Hotel. These features nod heavily to the underlying reasons that "The Granite State" is such a fitting title for the state of New Hampshire and captures those elements.