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Aprons from 1820 to 1865
Through the 1840s, aprons reflected the taste of the day for colored and patterned decorative arts. In an era of exuberantly painted walls, furniture and brightly hued textiles and ceramics, Masonic aprons fit right in. The ornamental painters decorating rooms, signs and furnishings, quite naturally turned their talents to the growing fraternal market—making and selling aprons in particular.
Royal Arch Apron, 1820–1840United StatesMuseum Purchase through the generosity of Mrs. Stuart F. Brown, H. Eugene Mason, 32° and Sarah Kennerly in memory of Fred C. Rogers, 2011.003
Master Mason Apron, 1820John Meer Sr. (probably 1756–1834)Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaMuseum Purchase, 2014.033.12
Master Mason Apron, 1822–1825Jervis Cutler (1768–1844)Nashville, TennesseeSpecial Acquisitions Fund, 89.61
Master Mason Apron, 1822–1830Charles Codman (1800 or 1801-1842)Portland, MaineMuseum Purchase, 94.054
Master Mason Apron, ca. 1836United StatesMuseum Purchase, 98.063.1
“In the neatest manner and at the shortest notice”
“In the neatest manner and at the shortest notice”
Not all of the entrepreneurs and artisans offering products to the Masonic community were members of the order. Some were non-member craftsmen who collaborated with Freemasons on the design, production and sale of aprons. Others were women. Their gender may have barred them from membership in American Freemasonry, but their skills, expertise and business sense led them to participate in the fraternal regalia marketplace.
Others still were women who artfully stitched aprons and other regalia at home for family members. In doing so, a woman displayed her skills and supported her family member’s Masonic activities. Many women assisted members and lodges with fund raising, providing refreshments and other tasks, suggesting that they thought favorably of family members’ participation and that they supported the organization’s aims and philosophies.
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This illustration of the Leonard & Company’s work room, shows that the firm relied on a female workforce to make its specialized products. In the mid-1800s, many women who worked outside of the home earned their living pursuing traditionally female activities, such as sewing and clothing construction.
Interior of Our Spring Street Manufactory, ca. 1855. From A Masonic Register for 5855. Courtesy of Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library of Grand Lodge, New York.
Master Mason Apron, 1846–1862A. Sisco Regalia CompanyBaltimore, MarylandSpecial Acquisitions Fund, 88.42.125
Master Mason Apron, 1846–1862A. Sisco Regalia CompanyBaltimore, MarylandGift of Peter Timms in memory of his father, H.R. Timms, 2000.025.2
A. Sisco Regalia Company
A. Sisco Regalia Company
These two aprons were manufactured by the A. Sisco Regalia company in Baltimore, Maryland. Newly widowed Ann Sisco (1814-1888) took over her husband’s fancy trimming business in 1846. She advertised that she would continue to manufacture all kinds of regalia “suitable and appropriate to the different orders.” It is likely that Sisco had assisted her husband with making regalia so had exposure to the business and clientele. With five young children to support, she also needed to earn a living.
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