More Designs by Temple

My variation for a seal with the arms of the City of Fredericksburg
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In 1971, Temple's (1911-2004) armorial design for the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia was officially adopted by the city.  Packed with meaning and references for Fredericksburg, Temple's design is blazoned:  Argent, on a cross saltire Azure two ostrich feathers in saltire Or on an ineschuteon Gules the crown of Charlemagne Or.  

The arms of Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The design of arms Temple devised for Tift College which was located in Forsyth, Georgia was adopted by the school in 1965 (Stone, 1969, p.173).  Tift College merged in 1986 with Mercer College and thus these arms are no longer extant. 

Earlier this year, I wrote about Tift College's arms as I had finally located an official blazon; click here to read about Temple's design of arms for Tift College.   

The blazon of arms for Tift College is: Argent, a cross Sable with a maltese cross of the first, on a chief Azure three roses Or barbed Vert (Tift, 1967, p.107).

Concept of using St. Augustine Parish's arms in a wafer-style seal.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of St. Augustine's Parish in Maryland were covered in my previously article on Temple's design; without hard evidence its entirely likely that Temple created these arms.  I've sent correspondence to Augustine Parish inquiring about design information for their coat of arms which I rendered above and placed within a gothic quatrefoil seal--really to give the parish something for their time and assistance with my research request.

The arms of St. Peter's Cathedral in Helena, Montana.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. 

Dekay (1993) provides both the blazon and design rationale for the arms of St. Peter's Cathedral in Helena Montana; however no designer is named.  Based on the illustration in DeKay (1993) this coat is highly suspicious in that Temple most likely designed the cathedral's arms.  The line dancetty abstractly refers to the Rocky Mountains, the gold base comes from the arms of the first bishop of the Diocese of Montana, and the black cross patee honors the first vicar of St. Peter's.  I will send the cathedral a request for design information in the coming days.

Blazon for the arms of St. Peter's Cathedral in Helena, Montana:  Per fess dancetty Azure and Or in chief a civic crown Argent charged with two keys in saltire Gules in a base a cross patee Sable (DeKay, 1993, p.109).

The arms of the Cathedral of St. Luke in Orlando, Florida.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Cathedral of St. Luke located in Orlando, Florida is another design likely created by Temple.  I happened upon these arms randomly and the canton immediately raised an eye brow towards Temple.  While I cannot locate a design rationale, the white canton and red cross saltire makes a clear reference to Florida's flag and the fleam is often attributed as a charge for St. Luke the "surgeon."  I rather like this simple design.

Blazon for the arms of the Cathedral of St. Luke in Orlando, Florida:  Pean, on a canton Argent a cross saltire Gules charged with a fleam Or.

The arms of the Cathedral Church of St. James in South Bend, Indiana.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Dekay (1993) credits Temple for designing the arms for the Cathedral Church of St. James in South Bend, Indiana blazoned:  Azure, three bendlets Or on a canton Gules an escallop Argent (p.112).  The escallop is an attributed charge for St. James the Greater while the three gold lines mimic the waters left in the wake of St. James' missionary travels by ship.  I also like this simple design.

One thing remains clear, Temple loved a canton and he utilized them well. 

Works Cited

Dekay, E. (1993).  Heraldry in the Episcopal Church.  Acorn Press.

Stone, E.W. (1969).  Yesterday at Tift.  Foote & Davies.

Tift College (1967).  Chiaroscuro [yearbook].  The Chiaroscuro Collections, Special Collections and University Archives, Mercer University, Macon, GA.  http://hdl.handle.net/10898/10928 

The Committee on Heraldry

Arms of the Committee on Heraldry, American Ancestors.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

It may come as a surprise to many readers to learn that the United States has the oldest non-governmental heraldic body in the world.  Formerly known to many as the New England Historic and Genealogical Society's (NEHGS) Committee on Heraldry, the Committee on Heraldry was established on 3 February 1863 and remains headquartered in Boston.  While NEHGS has since been renamed to American Ancestors, the Committee's work collecting and preserving American arms continues.  Two distinct functions of the Committee's work:  1) Registering historical arms of early Americans and immigrants, and 2) recording modern armorial ensigns used by Americans today.  Note the distinction between registration and recording!  Both functions require a detailed process for acceptance.  

Click here to go to the Committee on Heraldry's website.     

Recently, both American Ancestors and the Committee served as host for the 36th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences held this past September in Boston.  Congress brought together both genealogical and heraldic scholars from around the world for fellowship, research collaboration, and  presentations.  I was proud to have been among those selected to share a portion of my la Rose research at Congress.

I had every good intention to emblazon the Committee's arms before Congress, however, that didn't happen until this past week.

Banner of arms, the Committee on Heraldry.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

As far as I know the Committee's arms have been in use for quite some time and I wanted the challenge of recreating theses in my newly developing style of sorts.

My blazon for the arms of the Committee on Heraldry:  Argent, a ship under sail Azure, sail and flag Argent a cross throughout Gules, and in base barry wavy Azure and Argent.

Arms of the Committee on Heraldry.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Back in 2014, I had the good sense to have my own assumed arms recorded with the Committee, something that was meaningful for me to be counted among so many others bearing arms in our country.

Mission Digital: Preserving Arms From the Past II

Arms of the City of Kinston, NC designed by the College of Arms.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I'm thrilled to share several more armorial ensigns that are seemingly impossible to find.  By recreating these coats of arms in vector format and sharing here, its my sincere hope that we can prevent their extinction.   

The arms of the City of Kinston in North Carolina is one such case and these arms will soon get a post of their own.  So for now, enjoy!

Coat of arms for the City of Williamsburg, Virginia.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In October 1976, the City of Williamsburg, Virginia received a devisal of arms from the College of Arms in London.  These arms are extremely difficult to find anywhere on the web and I needed this coat for a proposal of new arms for a corporate body in Williamsburg as an example.

Blazon for the arms of the City of Williamsburg:  Vert, a sun in his spendor between four billets in chief and three billets in base a bordure Or.

Arms of the National Student Council of the Episcopal Church.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the National Student Council of the Episcopal Church have been covered previously.  These arms represent Pierre de Chaignon la Rose's first national design for the Episcopal Church.  Years later, la Rose would render the ultimate design creating the Episcopal Church's own coat of arms.  Please click here to read more about these arms.

Arms of the Catholic Church Extension Society.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Next up, we have the arms la Rose designed for the Catholic Church Extension Society, an early national design for the Roman Catholic Church in the US.  These arms have previously been covered (but not emblazoned!).  Please click here to read more about these arms.  

Arms of Lancaster Catholic High School.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of Lancaster Catholic High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania are among my favorites designed by la Rose.  Designed between 1928-1930, the school's arms are harmonious, simple, and layered with richness--incorporating the Lancaster rose is brilliant!  Again, rather difficult to find a good rendering out in the wilds of the Internet.

Freshly digitized in vector, several arms of Episcopal Preparatory Schools.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I was never happy with my renderings for St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire as well as St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island.  Both arms were designed by la Rose and I felt I had not done justice to his brilliant design work.

Now in vector format, I can say that I'm pleased and ready to put these designs to aside!  Click here to read about la Rose's work with these three schools.

From L-R:  Arms of Kenyon College and its foundation, Bexley Hall Seminary.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio has a lot of terrible renderings of its arms, most completely ignore the one published blazon I was able to find.  Additionally, Kenyon College established Bexley Hall Seminary as a school to train future clergy in the Episcopal Church.  The seminary's arms are all but extinct, so I went ahead and rendered these in vector format.  

These two armorial ensigns hold immense historical importance as they represent the first known design in US scholastic heraldry using a unifying chief (showing allegiance with the corporate sole).  I've written about both arms and click here to learn more.

La Rose 1921 proposed design for national arms for the Episcopal Church.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Finally, I'm sharing my emblazonment of la Rose's proposed national arms for the Episcopal Church submitted in 1921.  I've covered these arms previously in retelling the complete story of how the Episcopal Church received her own coat of arms.  Please click here to read more.

Mission Digital: Preserving Arms From the Past

The arms of St. Edward Seminary (now closed) designed by
Pierre de Chaignon la Rose.
Rendered now in vector format by Chad Krouse, 2024.

As I continue to learn and grow in the new world of digital heraldry, I'm embracing a new purpose.  My mission:  to preserve coats of arms from various US corporate bodies that either no longer exist or extremely difficult to find.  This new idea isn't really new for me, most of my heraldic research on Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) has uncovered numerous armorial ensigns that have seemingly been lost to history.  In many cases with la Rose's work, some of his designs have never seen color much less rendered in digital form.  To read one such example, please click here to learn about the arms of St. Edward Seminary.

My new purpose also helps as I continue to present various case studies on US corporate arms--having nicely rendered arms adds tremendous value in telling the stories behind the designs.

Arms of the Foreign Mission Sisters of St. Dominic,
designed by John Nainfa and Pierre de Chaignon la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade,
designed by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Catholic University of America,
designed by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine,
designed by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

While I've previously covered the arms for the Foreign Mission Sisters of St. Dominic, Catholic Students' Mission Crusade, the Catholic University of America, and the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, I wanted another shot at reworking the designs in vector and truly give them justice.  Please click here to read my previous analysis on these arms.

The arms of Lenox School (now closed),
designed by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

I also wanted to rework the arms of Lenox School, mainly the open and inscribed book.  Click here to read more about the arms of Lenox School.

Arms of the Gallery of Living Catholic Authors,
designed by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Gallery of Living Catholic Authors is another coat I believe has never been digitally rendered before, as I discovered it buried deep in an archives.  I've written previously about this unique design created by la Rose, but now I've finally rendered these arms in vector format.  These arms are among my favorite designed by la Rose.  

And now some fresh emblazonments of old coats of arms.

The arms of Rich's Department Store (now closed),
devised by the College of Arms.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Perhaps one of the most unusual arms I've encountered coming from London, the arms devised in 1966 for Rich's Incorporated, formerly a major department store located in Atlanta, Georgia.  Based on my research, Rich's arms represent the only US-commercial body to have petitioned the College of Arms for a devisal of arms.  The retailer merged with what is now Macy's.   

The arms of Georgia State College (now university)
devised by the College of Arms.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Georgia State College (now a university), located in Atlanta, Georgia, was the first US academic institution to receive a devisal of arms from the College of London following the Earl Marshal's change in the early 1960s.  The university, as far as I can tell, still use their arms within a seal matrix for its legal mark.  I don't see any use of the arms for decoration, etc.  I wanted to digitally render these arms in vector format as part of my mission to preserve the design for future generations of scholars. 

The coat of arms of Winthrop College (now university)
devised by the College of Arms.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Next up, we have the rather lovely and simple arms of Winthrop College (now a university) located in Rock Hill, South Carolina.  Sadly, the university no longer uses these arms in favor of design and thus I wanted to ensure their preservation by digitally rendering them.  I've not encountered a digital version in the wilds of the Internet.

The coat of arms of Kent School,
devised by the College of Arms.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Finding a decent rendering of the Kent School's coat of arms has become virtually impossible, and I knew I wanted to help change that.  Located in Kent, Connecticut, the Kent School's arms were originally designed in late 1920s and used a black engrailed fess with a gold fretty.  To celebrate the school's centenary, it received a devisal of arms from the College of Arms as seen above.  Black became blue!   

The arms of Roxbury Latin School,
granted by the College of Arms.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I encountered the same issue when trying to find a good emblazonment of the arms for Roxbury Latin School in Massachusetts.  The school, given its pre-Indepedence founding date, received an actual grant of arms from London.  Their lovely and simple.

Arms of the Mescalero Apache Tribe devised by the College of Arms.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

File these arms under "extremely rare."  The arms of the Mescalero Apache Tribe represent the only known design of arms for a first nations corporate body in the US.  The tribe received a devisal of arms from the College of Arms in 1986.  I may be wrong here and more research will be needed.  The arms are simple and likely represent important Apache symbols.  I'd love to get my hands on the official blazon.

Arms of the American Society of the Order of Saint John,
granted by the College of Arms.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Before the US Priory of the Order of St. John was elevated to a priory, the organization existed as the American Society of the Order of St. John.  Granted by the College of Arms and conveyed by letters patent dated 24 May 1988, the arms are blazoned:  Gules, a cross Argent in the first quarter the Royal Crest proper and on the cross a Bald Eagle displayed proper.

Following the Society's elevation to a priory, the organization would receive a new grant from the College in 1996. 

The arms of Tift College (now closed),
designed by Col. Harry D. Temple.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

And finally, for now, we have the first digitally rendered arms of Tift College in Georgia which has since closed.  The arms were designed by Col. Harry D. Temple (1911-2004) and I've written about these previously.  Please click here to learn more about Tift College's coat of arms.

The arms of Stanford University designed by
Stanford Professor Eric Hutchinson.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Stanford Chemistry Professor, Dr. Eric Hutchinson (1920-2005), created the "red frond" for Stanford University's heraldry in 1967 to serve as the unifying charge for the arms of Stanford's foundations.  Click here to view Doty's (1996) article on the heraldry of Stanford. 

More arms are in the works, but for now, please enjoy!

O Canada!

Arms and crest of the Canadian Heraldic Authority,
rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

When my heraldic journey commenced years ago, I became utterly fascinated with my eyes saw coming from the heralds to the north.  Canadian heraldry has come into its own during the 21st Century and decidedly different from its English roots.  

Some of my favorites, L-R:  The Royal Heraldry Society of Canada,
Canadian Heraldic Authority, and Order of St John in Canada.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Banner of arms of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada based on the Society's arms.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The coat of arms of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The coat of arms of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Arms of the Order of St. John Canada
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

For the 'Gram

Banner of arms, Institutum Divini Thomae (OH) based on Pierre de Chaignon la Rose's original design.  Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Hoist the colors!  That's right, if you fancy a bit of flying heraldry in your social media feed, then add @flying.heraldry to your Instagram account.

Click below to add @flying.heraldry to your Instagram account

Flying Heraldry (@flying.heraldry) • Instagram photos and videos

Muddy Waves for Brookline: A Case Study in Unification of Arms by la Rose

Arms of Brookline Public Library in Brookline, MA
designed by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Several years ago, I happened upon a most unusual find created by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) for Brookline Public Library in Brookline, Massachusetts.  While la Rose is widely known for his ecclesiastical heraldic work, finding artifacts relating to his civic heraldry is quite rare.  La Rose designed the seal for the library working with Richard Clipston Sturgis (1860-1951) who was the architect for building.  Completed in 1910, Sturgis incorporated into the eastern facade of the building la Rose's seal for the library (Trustees of Brookline Public Library, 1911, 363).  For additional background and context relating to the arms of Brookline Public Library, please click here.    

Ex Libris of Brookline Public Library located in Brookline, Massachusetts.  Image is from the Author's private collection.

Recently, I purchased an ex libris containing la Rose's design for the library--I was thrilled to have a clear image of this simple coat.  Based on the heraldic hatching of the arms, the blazon for the arms of Brookline Public Library is: Gules, an open book edged with three clasps Or inscribed Sapientia Legendo and in base barry wavy Argent and Sable.  

After I wrote my analysis back in 2020, I believed that was all that could be mentioned about these arms.  Until now.

A Muddy River

We know, based on collected data, that la Rose maintained a strict adherence to design schemes for those charges and layouts for arms.  In other words, once he determined how a charge should be rendered, generally speaking, he kept to the design.  Moreover, once he settled on how he would geographically identify a given coat of arms, he would maintain that design in order to illustrate unification with those coats.

La Rose never referred to himself as a herald, per se, likely knowing full well the title carried more than simply designing coats of arms.  Rather, la Rose saw himself as an "archeologist," and embraced this title through his heraldic work by incorporating critical elements from the past in new corporate arms for unique identification.  Brookline is no exception to his keen sense of that calling.

Banner of arms, Brookline Public Library.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Prior to its official incorporation in 1705, the town of Brookline was known as "Muddy River."  It is highly likely the black and white lines of barry wavy are la Rose's method of referencing Brookline's history.  In the absence of any correspondence or rationale for Brookline Public Library, the design reference matches scores of examples in my data of how the designer would illustrate local history in corporate arms.  For example, the City of Boston was once known as "Tremontinensis," and from this la Rose used the trimount as a symbolic reference for geographical identification (la Rose, 1911, 5). 

Two Newly Discovered Arms

As my research progressed, I discovered two additional coats of arms for corporate bodies located in Brookline and these findings simply astounded me.  Ironically, I found these arms on my birthday, and I quietly said "thank you," to both la Rose and the heraldic gods up above!  Just when I believed to have la Rose figured out, something new emerges keeping me alert and on my toes. 

From a careful review of yearbooks from Roman Catholic schools in Massachusetts, I randomly stumbled on St. Mary of the Assumption High School located in Brookline.  Yearbooks are a rich source for scanning academic seals and coats of arms.  Inside the school's 1941 yearbook Assumpta, I found two seals containing arms for the school and its sponsoring parish.  In both sets, the black and white lines of barry wavy are present along with additional charges for identification and unification.

A disclaimer.  As is usually the case with these artifacts, very little evidence exists to corroborate the designer, the blazon, or even the date of creation.  For this reason alone, I constructed what I call the "Krouse Method," for using existing data to inform my attribution to la Rose.  To learn more about the Krouse Method for data informed attribution, please click here. 

The seal and arms of the Parish of St. Mary Assumption Roman Catholic Church located in Brookline, Massachusetts.  Image is from St. Mary of the Assumption High School (1941), p.7.

Here we find a very rare example of la Rose designing arms for a parish church, as I have but only a couple in my data of more than 250 designs for corporate arms.  

Coat of arms for the Parish of St. Mary Assumption Roman Catholic Church.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The seal and arms for the Parish of St. Mary of the Assumption are striking, simple, and clear.  Based on the heraldic hatching in the image above, the arms can be blazoned:  Azure, a six pointed mulllet Argent ensigned by an ancient coronet Or and issuing from base barry wavy Argent and Sable a trimount Or. 

Each design component within the parish's arms provides important symbolism for identifying the church.  The blue field, star, and ancient coronet represent the Queen of Heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The trimount in base identifies the parish as one within the Archdiocese of Boston, and the black and white barry wavy geographically places the community within Brookline.  Finally, the arms are set within la Rose's classic gothic quatrefoil seal wafer surrounded with the legend in Latin using Lombardic font.  Who else, I dare ask, could render in such a simple and clear manner arms bursting with meaning and identification? 

The seal and arms of St. Mary of the Assumption High School located
in Brookline, Massachusetts.  Image is from St. Mary of the Assumption
High School (1941), page 20.   

The arms of the school carry forward several design elements from those found in the parish's coat.  First, the color of the field and the ancient coronet show unification with the parish as well as symbolizing the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The black and white barry wavy lines geographically locate the school in Brookline.  While I cannot find the citation at the moment, I did read the parish's territory was dedicated to St. Joseph, thus both the chevron rendered as a carpenter's square and three Madonna lilies provide additional geographical identification.  

Based on the heraldic hatching for St. Mary of the Assumption High School, the blazon is:  Azure, issuing from base barry wavy Argent and Sable three Madonna lilies conjoined and seeded Argent enfiled by an ancient coronet and overall a chevron rendered as a carpenter's square Or.

Two Religious Congregations 

Diving deeper into the background surrounding the arms of the high school reveals a bit of a mystery in terms of la Rose's possible referencing within his design.  We find two religious congregations involved at the school.  In the beginning, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur were invited to run--what I believe the history shows--the elementary school in Brookline.  According to Oates (1978), this congregation was not terribly keen on teaching boys, and so it appears the elementary school was strictly for girls (p. 662).

In 1924, however, things changed.  The parish decided to open a co-educational high school and needed new teachers willing and able to help, and the Sisters of St. Joseph from the Boston Congregation filled the void (Oates, 1978, 664).  If 1924 was the year in which St. Mary of the Assumption High School opened, then it's likely la Rose's use of the conjoined Madonna lilies and chevron as a carpenter's square was referencing the Boston Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph.  Since it appears that the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur had no involvement with the high school, then, the reference to the Boston Congregation makes perfect sense.  

The supporting evidence for this theory can be found three years prior to the school's opening.  In 1921, la Rose designed the Boston Congregation's arms and blazoned them: Azure, issuing from a vase Or in base three flowering lilies Argent, overall a chevron rendered as a carpenter's square Or and on a chief Sable three crowns composed of alternate crosses patty and fleurs-de-lis Or.  I still struggle to rationalize the ancient coronet in the school's arms, perhaps a nod to the crowns in chief from the Sisters' arms, or a charge for unification from the parish's arms?  My take:  the coronet is referencing the parish given la Rose's prominent placement in both arms.  However, its truly anyone's guess.

As the research stands for now, I believe it's highly possible that la Rose designed both the arms for the Parish of St. Mary of the Assumption and its high school around 1924.

After working with the archivist from the Boston Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, I believe neither the school or the parish know these beautiful designs by la Rose exist.  I hope, possibly, to help bring these back to life for them.  

So, a muddy river shall unite them all.

Works Cited

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1911).  The arms of his Eminence Cardinal Gibbons. The Ecclesiastical Review, 5(45), pp. 2-11. 

Oates, M.J. (1978). Organized voluntarism: The Catholic sisters in Massachusetts, 1870-1940.  American Quarterly, 30(5), pp. 652-680.

St. Mary of the Assumption High School. (1941).  Assumpta.  St. Mary of the Assumption High School.

Trustees of Brookline Public Library. (1911).  The fifty-fourth annual report of the trustees of the public library of Brookline for the year ending December 31, 1910.  Grimes Press, 363.

Heraldry and Discord: A Generous Community

 

The first digital emblazonment of the arms of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) after his 1895 bookplate.  Digital rendering by "vErmines Love Supreme" and Encyclopedia Heraldica August 11, 2023. 

Several weeks ago, a friend of mine in the heraldry community suggested that I join the Discord server in order to participate with the Heraldry group there.  Previously, my social media interactions were limited to several vibrant Facebook groups, where each group has a particular focus--American Heraldry Society, Ecclesiastical Heraldry, Scholastic Heraldry (the group I founded during the pandemic), the Royal Canadian Heraldry Society, etc.  Click here to join the Facebook group on scholastic heraldry.  I took my friend's suggestion and downloaded Discord to my phone, set up an account, and was live in the group.  Immediately, and much to my suprise, I discovered that the community on Discord was extremely active, supportive, and engaged.

Based on my experiences with both Facebook heraldry groups and now Discord, there are several notable comparisons.  Facebook heraldry groups tend to skew towards an older audience.  Typically, I've observed sharper comments regarding posts, arguments between members, etc.  Generally speaking, however, these Facebook groups stay on point for whichever heraldic topic is the focus.  Because the members are older, they do offer deeper insights to heraldic conundrums, can quickly correct an error in a blazon, and connect histories and themes for given arms.  

The arms of the Heraldry Discord Server, created on May 24, 2022 and rendered by "ET72."

Discord, so far as I've seen, is much younger.  There is a ton of digital artists who will quickly, and I mean quickly, emblazon anything.  This experience gives me the feeling that heraldry is alive, it's real, and to see folks engaging with the subject in new and creative ways is truly palpable.  As an aside, I feel like even the arms of the group as seen above, wonderfully illustrates my point.  

The arms are blazoned: Per saltire Gules and Azure, a fret between two escutcheons in pale Argent and as many bees in fess proper.  The crest is blazoned: A demi-pantheon Azure charged with a semy of estoiles Argent and gorged of a coronet of oak-leaves Or, bearing in the forelegs a torch Gules enflamed Or. And the supporters are blazoned:  Two lions rampant regardant, the dexter Argent, the sinister Gules, both armed and langued Azure and gorged of coronets of oak-leaves Or.

Even the motto is on point: "By the arms knowst thou the man."

Case in point:  I asked in one subgroup to see if anyone was willing to take a shot at emblazoning the arms of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941), as I've yet to encounter a colored emblazonment (much less a digital one) anywhere.  I shared the blazon that I created based on la Rose's 1895 bookplate, an image of the bookplate, as well as my own line drawing.  For more background, please click here to read my previous post on la Rose's arms.  Within 24 hours, two members took up the challenge and rendered unique digital emblazonments.  Much to my delight, both arms look authentic, alive, and frankly beautiful.  Thank you Schnitzel, Herzog von Westfalen and vErmines Love Supreme.

The blazon that I give la Rose's arms as they appeared on his 1895 bookplate is: Azure, a lion rampant Or langued Gules and charged on the shoulder with a rose of the third barbed and seeded proper, holding in dexter arm a sword proper.  Motto:  Fortiter et Suaviter (Firmly and gently). 

So, I highly recommend joining Discord and the vibrant heraldry community there!  You won't be disappointed.  

Another digital emblazonment rendered by "Schnitzel, Herzog von Westfalen" on August 11, 2023.  I absolutely love the lion's expression.  It's almost like the lion is supplicating!  Amazing detail! 

My line drawing of la Rose's arms as they appeared in 1895, drawn on June 9, 2020.

The bookplate of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose from the Houghton Library, Harvard, 1895