Book of the Month: Freemason’s Monitor

The Library division presents:

books1

The Freemason’s Monitor; containing
the degrees of Freemasonry  . . .
 edited by Daniel Sickles. New York:
Clark and Maynard, 1864. 12 cm. 
Cloth bound book. Music sheet waste
paper used in binding. Gilded edges.
The library’s collection of over 100
Freemason’s Monitors spans space and
time. Dating from as early as 1797,
these little books contain the history
of Freemasonry. Full of explanations
of the degrees of Freemasonry, and
accompanied by wonderful miniature
engravings, the small size of
these texts tell us they were meant
to be carried close to the heart.

Artifact of the Month : Masonic Tracing Board

The Museum Division presents:HH 20160516 Monitor and Tracing Board (2)

Masonic Tracing Board, early 1800s
Oil, gilt + multicolor paint on canvas.
L: 157.5   W: 101.6
St. Andrew’s Lodge No. 289;
Hobart, NY

In early days of Freemasonry, the
symbols were drawn with chalk on the
ground, so there was no permanent
record of the images. This practice
gave way to symbols being woven into
a carpet, called “The Master’s Carpet”
which was rolled up and hidden.
Carpets gave way to paintings like this
one, which were kept in the Lodges
and used to illustrate the lessons
taught during Masonic degrees.