Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Masonic Apron Worn by Marquis de Lafayette
ca. 1825
Maker not marked
USA: Massachusetts, Boston (probably)
Silk, linen
Body: 15-1/8"h x 17-1/2"w
Loaned by the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts
GL2004.12074

Masonic apron with rounded body and round flap. White with faded ribbon trim. Trim was originally purple, but has faded to tan on the front. Hand-stitched. Replacement white linen tape ties are attached to the upper corners. Backed with white linen. Handwritten in ink under the flap is "#19 / Lafayette / 6/17/25."

On the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, as many as 150,000 people witnessed Lafayette help lay the cornerstone for the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, Massachusetts in a Masonic ceremony. According to one observer, many of the participating Freemasons donned blue sashes and white aprons and gloves for the event. This silk apron is thought to have been worn by Lafayette on the day. He presented it to a fellow attendee at a celebratory banquet held after the cornerstone laying. For further information, see Newell, Aimee, et.al., "Curiosities of the Craft: Treasures from the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts Collection", 2013, p. 270-271.