Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Masonic York Rite Royal Arch Guard Tunic or Costume
ca. 1916
Harding Army and Navy Uniforms
USA: Massachusetts, Boston
wool, cotton, silk, metal, bullion
overall: 38-1/2"h x 20"w x 1"d
Gift of Royal Arch Chapter of the Tabernacle, Malden, Massachusetts
2015.016.3

Masonic York Rite Royal Arch Guard Tunic or Costume. Blue wool tunic fastens up the back with 8 gold-colored metal snaps and features rust-colored silk panels at chest, shoulders, waist, and cuffs. Band collar is 1-1/4" wide, covered with rust-colored silk and decorated with metal thread trim and 9 silver-colored metal discs, likely tin. From collar, rounded, rust-colored silk bib with metal thread trim hangs 13" down chest and is decorated with tin discs larger than those on collar; its center lobe, longer than rest of bib, is trimmed with gold bullion fringe. On back, silk panel trimmed with metal thread extends 2-3/8" from collar and is fully sewn to fabric underneath. Waist band of same silk is trimmed with metal thread and gold bullion fringe and decorated with medium-sized tin discs all the way around; 7 silk panels hang from it, also decorated with metal thread trim and tin discs, the middle panel being larger than the others and trimmed with gold bullion fringe at the bottom. Upper part of sleeves (10"-long portion beginning at shoulder seams) is decorated with silk with discs and bullion fringe and features repeating stripes of metallic thread embroidery; cuffs bias-cut with silk-and-tin-disc decoration on fronts only. White cotton lining has blue stripes and features two labels sewn into front neckline: the top one is of white synthetic or plastic-coated fabric and bears text printed in black ink, "Harding Uniform & Regalia Co. / 22 School St. BOSTON / [faded, illegible handwriting] / GUARD [stamped in purple ink] / 40" [handwritten in black ink]"; the bottom one is black fabric with yellow embroidered text, "ARMY & NAVY / HARDING / UNIFORMS / 22 SCHOOL ST. / BOSTON".