Laura Gardin Fraser | |
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| Born | September 14, 1889 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | August 13, 1966 (aged 76) Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | Columbia University |
Laura Gardin Fraser (September 14, 1889 – August 13, 1966) was an American sculptor. She was married to sculptor James Earle Fraser and was a first cousin of painter Agnes Pelton.
Laura Gardin studied under Fraser at the Art Students League of New York from 1910 to 1912. Alone or with her husband she designed a number of U.S. coins, notably the 1921 Alabama Centennial half dollar, the 1922 Grant Memorial half dollar, the 1925 Fort Vancouver Centennial half dollar, and the 1926 Oregon Trail Memorial half dollar.
In 1931 she was the winner of the competition to design a new quarter with George Washington on the obverse. Her winning design was not selected by the then-Treasury Secretary, Andrew Mellon, who selected a design by John Flanagan. Fraser's design was coined as a commemorative five-dollar gold piece in 1999, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of George Washington's death. From 2022 to 2025, the design will be used for the American Women quarters series that celebrates prominent American women. In 1924, she was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member, and became a full academician in 1931.