History

The Ladies Merit Cross was instituted by King Wilhelm III in 1892 as a two-class order to reward women who selflessly dedicated their time to charity work, or performed meritorious service in fields related to social welfare or religion.

In order to receive the Gold Cross, a woman had to have held the II Class award, the Silver Cross, for at least 10 years. In special cases, this requirement was overlooked.

Despite the establishment date of 1892, the cross was not incorporated into the Prussian honour system until 1907.

The crosses feature two different crowns, the Empress crown for non-Prussian recipients, and the Royal crown for Prussian recipients.

The Gold Cross in gold was very rare, while silver-gilt finishes were more common. The manufacturer of the decoration was the Friedländer Brothers.

It is unclear if the anniversary years (50, 60, 70) were attached to this decoration. This decoration became obsolete in 1918.