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Aprons and Textiles

Artifact Img 4

01

Master Mason Apron | Circa 1800-1807
Watercolor and ink on silk, linen | 20″ x 17 1/4″
Acc# 79.12

Donated by Jean A. Laipple of San Francisco in 1978, this hand painted apron features the personification of Hope standing beside her anchor. The apron is a fine example of the Palatine German Folk Style as practiced by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and New York along the Mohawk River in the 18th century An inscription found underneath the apron flap states: “Brother Ralph Hankins, Tammany Lodge No. 83, November 16, 1807.” Lodge No. 83 was founded in 1800 near what is now Milanville, Pennsylvania.

Royal Arch Apron | circa 1800-1820.
Watercolor and ink on silk, linen | 21″x 17 1/4″
Acc# 396.1

02

This apron, hand painted with various Masonic symbols, is typical of the Palatine German Folk Style featuring German Fraktur typography. It is a companion to apron #79.12. Althpough we have no information on its origin, it is almost identical to an apron made by Conrad Edick held by The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library in Lexington, Massachusetts. Edick was an early 19th century folk artist working in the German immigrant communities based along the Mohawk River valley in Pennsylvania and New York. The design, materials, colors, Germanic fraktur-style lettering, and overall artistic style suggest the possibility that the aprons are from the same artist.

03

Scottish Rite Master Mason Apron | circa 1820-1850
Watercolor on silk | 16” x 16”
Acc# 86.3

This handmade silk apron with hand painted Masonic symbols was donated by Richard Shadburne of Goleta, California. It was originally owned and used by his grandfather Ludwell McKay of Louisville, Kentucky. It hand sewn of silk fabric and trimmed with a pleated red silk ribbon. The fine needle work indicates that is was made by an accomplished seamstress. The painted symbols are arranged in a style that may have been inspired by an early edition of The Masonic Chart or Hieroglyphic Monitor written by Jeremy Cross and engraved by Amos Doolittle in the early nineteenth century.

4

Scottish Rite Lodge of Perfection Apron | circa 1810-1830
Paint on Silk | 17" x 13.5"
Acc# 86.17

This handmade white silk apron with red pleated red ribbon, sequin trim, and red silk ties is another example of a female hand at work with the elaborate use of sequins, cross stitching, and ribbon for decoration. The painted gold leaf luminous equilateral triangle in the center is the symbol of the tetragrammaton or four-letter Hebrew name for the Lord God Jehovah [JHVH] used in the first portion of the Scottish Rite system of degrees called The Lodge of Perfection. This series of degrees includes the 4th° through to the 14th° and are referred to as the ineffable degrees. Ineffable comes from the Latin ineffibilis which means something that should not be spoken. The Tetragrammaton is used as a symbol in Royal Arch, Cryptic, Council, and Scottish Rite degrees.

Artifact Img 4

05

Master Mason Apron | Circa 1800-1807
Watercolor and ink on silk, linen | 20″ x 17 1/4″
Acc# 79.12

Donated by Jean A. Laipple of San Francisco in 1978, this hand painted apron features the personification of Hope standing beside her anchor. The apron is a fine example of the Palatine German Folk Style as practiced by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and New York along the Mohawk River in the 18th century An inscription found underneath the apron flap states: “Brother Ralph Hankins, Tammany Lodge No. 83, November 16, 1807.” Lodge No. 83 was founded in 1800 near what is now Milanville, Pennsylvania.

Royal Arch Apron | circa 1800-1820.
Watercolor and ink on silk, linen | 21″x 17 1/4″
Acc# 396.1

06

This apron, hand painted with various Masonic symbols, is typical of the Palatine German Folk Style featuring German Fraktur typography. It is a companion to apron #79.12. Althpough we have no information on its origin, it is almost identical to an apron made by Conrad Edick held by The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library in Lexington, Massachusetts. Edick was an early 19th century folk artist working in the German immigrant communities based along the Mohawk River valley in Pennsylvania and New York. The design, materials, colors, Germanic fraktur-style lettering, and overall artistic style suggest the possibility that the aprons are from the same artist.

07

Scottish Rite Master Mason Apron | circa 1820-1850
Watercolor on silk | 16” x 16”
Acc# 86.3

This handmade silk apron with hand painted Masonic symbols was donated by Richard Shadburne of Goleta, California. It was originally owned and used by his grandfather Ludwell McKay of Louisville, Kentucky. It hand sewn of silk fabric and trimmed with a pleated red silk ribbon. The fine needle work indicates that is was made by an accomplished seamstress. The painted symbols are arranged in a style that may have been inspired by an early edition of The Masonic Chart or Hieroglyphic Monitor written by Jeremy Cross and engraved by Amos Doolittle in the early nineteenth century.

8

Scottish Rite Lodge of Perfection Apron | circa 1810-1830
Paint on Silk | 17" x 13.5"
Acc# 86.17

This handmade white silk apron with red pleated red ribbon, sequin trim, and red silk ties is another example of a female hand at work with the elaborate use of sequins, cross stitching, and ribbon for decoration. The painted gold leaf luminous equilateral triangle in the center is the symbol of the tetragrammaton or four-letter Hebrew name for the Lord God Jehovah [JHVH] used in the first portion of the Scottish Rite system of degrees called The Lodge of Perfection. This series of degrees includes the 4th° through to the 14th° and are referred to as the ineffable degrees. Ineffable comes from the Latin ineffibilis which means something that should not be spoken. The Tetragrammaton is used as a symbol in Royal Arch, Cryptic, Council, and Scottish Rite degrees.

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