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A Meeting of Freemasons for the Reception of Apprentices
1809
Thomas Palser, publisher (active 1799-1843)
England: London
Engraving on paper with watercolor
Sheet: 8-3/4"h x 12-3/4"w
Special Acquisitions Fund
77.10.1a

A Meeting of Free Masons for the Reception of Apprentices engraving; scene shows master of the lodge greeting apprentice; across bottom, each figure is identified as "1 Master, 2 Senior Warden, 3 Junior Warden, 4 Candidate, 5 Speaker, 6 Secretary, 7 Treasurer, 8 Tyler"; written across bottom: " Plate 1 A meeting of Freemasons for the reception of Apprentices / The Junior Warden introducing in the Lodge the Candidate to be / Initiated an entered Apprentice / Published Jan. 30th, 1809 by Thos Palser, Surry Side, Westminster Bridge." inscription on reverse, hard to read.


This London-made print shows a Masonic meeting. Publishers printed it as part of a series based on a group of French engravings produced in the mid-1700s. By illustrating the inner workings of meetings and rituals, publishers sought to reveal the secrets of Freemasonry. In this image, the lodge Master commands the only seat in the room, a round-backed side chair like the one displayed nearby. Under the Master’s eye, meeting attendees examine a tracing board rolled out on the floor.