Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

"Outside the Lodge"
1935-1939
Frank Abner Stockwell (1890-1970)
USA: New York, Buffalo
Oil on canvas
frame: 39-3/4"h x 45-3/4"w x 3"d
Extended Loan from Buffalo Consistory, Valley of Buffalo, New York, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A.
EL2006.001.1

Painting on canvas of street scene outside a small Masonic country lodge. Many men are pictured, all involved in various activities such as changing tires, talking, etc.

In this image, artist and Freemason Frank A. Stockwell portrayed an imagined early evening scene outside of a small-town Masonic lodge. In the street and on the porch, men exchange greetings and talk. At the center of the image, the Lodge Master, distinguished by his hat, decorated apron, and his jewel of office, greets an older member. At the left, one brother helps another change a tire—a vignette that underscores the feeling of fellowship and friendship depicted in artist Frank A. Stockwell’s painting. The Valley of Buffalo, where Stockwell was a member, displayed this and others of his paintings in their building for many years. After Stockwell’s death, one of his brothers noted “he will long be remembered by those who knew him for his devotion to Masonry and his personal charm.” Both of these qualities come through in this work.