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Caesar R. Blake, Imperial Potentate [Shrine]
1919-1931
Carolina Studio
USA: North Carolina, Charlotte
Photograph on paper
overall: 9-1/2"h x 6-1/2"w
Museum Purchase
99.044.1

Black and white Masonic photograph of African American Imperial Potentate Shriner, Caesar R. Blake; photo is in cardboard frame and shows man in fez and tux standing in front of flag-draped table with gavel in right hand; hand-written on frame: "Yours in the Faith / Caesar R. Blake, L / Imperial Potentate"; stamped on bottom right corner of frame: "Carolina Studios / Charlotte, N.C."


Caesar R. Blake (1886–1931) was a clerk with Norfolk and Southern Railway in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was a member of the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Prince Hall Affiliated (A.E.A.O.N.M.S.). This group, also known as the Prince Hall Shriners, was founded in 1893 in Chicago, Illinois. Blake belonged to Rameses Temple No. 51 in Charlotte and served as Imperial Potentate, the head of the A.E.A.O.N.M.S., from 1919 until his death in 1931. In this role, he advocated for Prince Hall Shriners as they engaged in dozens of legal disputes challenging the legitimacy of their organization. In 1929 they won a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case which confirmed the legality of their group as a fraternal organization. For further information, see blog post, June 18, 2020, https://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/2020/06/caesar-r-blake.html