Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Masonic Scottish Rite Consistory Apron
1830-1850
Maker not marked
USA: Massachusetts (probably)
Paint on linen; silk
overall: 15"h x 14-3/4"w
Gift of the Supreme Council, 33º, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A.
74.1.69

Masonic Scottish Rite Consistory apron, painted on linen, black silk crimped border, black satin lining; double headed eagle on flap; symbol of the consistory encampment printed and painted on apron.

Once a man becomes a Master Mason at his local lodge, he may choose to join additional Masonic groups, such as the Scottish Rite. Members perform a series of twenty-nine degrees, which are designed to supplement and amplify the philosophical lessons of the first three degrees of Freemasonry. This apron is thought to have been owned by Giles Fonda Yates (1798-1859) who briefly served as the leader of the Scottish Rite in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in 1851. For further information, see Burgess, Richard B., et al., "A Sublime Brotherhood: Two Hundred Years of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction," 2013, p.8.