Ich Mache Rechte: Notes on an Imperfect Motto

A recent emblazonment by the talented Sivane Saray of Brussels, Belgium.

Years ago when I was developing my coat of arms, I knew I wanted the motto to be rendered in German.  As a fifth generation German-American, I felt it was important to blend my German ancestry into the arms which otherwise are very English in nature.  The "crie de guerre" is the war cry carried into battle by soldiers under the knight's banner, at least that's the origin of the motto in association with coat armour.  I believe it to be the least important element of the armorial achievement.

Thanks to German speaking viewers on Facebook, most scratch their heads when they see my arms with the motto, "Ich Mache Rechte."  They rightfully ask, "I make rights?  What on earth?"  It's a fair question.  One that I'm getting used to answering more and more.  

It all started with Google translator in 2014.  Yes, all those years of taking French classes in high school and college was of no use to me on this particular project.  And I'm not ashamed to admit that I turned to Google for help.  In hindsight, I would have asked on Facebook for assistance with the translation and would have undoubtedly received it.  But, since I've invested a lot in registrations and emblazonments, the motto is now etched in stone.  

I make right, is my interpretation of Ich Mache Rechte.  The sentiment is deeply personal and meaningful to me.  As I look back on my young life to date, I strive to make right the things in my life that have gone wrong; poor decisions, damaged relationships, and all the normal human choices we face each and every day.  By nature, I'm a very reflective person.  I seek guidance for the future from my past.  Perhaps this is why biography is one of my favorite genres in books.   

I hope these brief notes help explain my imperfect motto, it's like me, imperfect.  I'm going to keep it.

And please check out the Facebook page of Sivane Saray who does exquisite heraldic work in a very unique style.  Support our heraldic artists!

The Attributed Arms of the Black Lives Matter Movement

The attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter Movement, designed by Dr. Krouse.

During the Selma marches in 1965, Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr. famously paraphrased a quotation attributed to Theodore Parker.  When King was asked how long will it take until social justice has been achieved, King responded, "Not long because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."  NPR ran a story on this famous quotation back in 2010, click here to listen to it.  I've been reflecting a lot lately on what that arc looks like.

I've watched in horror the events unfolding over the past two weeks.  I've been processing the images from the news, the protests, and the thousands of Americans (and many across the globe) marching for justice.  As a white man living in America, I do not pretend for a second to know the pain and fear that Black men face everyday walking down streets, shopping in malls, or otherwise living their lives.  I'm angry.  I've been reminded recently that this phenomenon is not new in 2020, for it's been going on in this country since the days of settlement.  

I want to do something.  I wanted to create a noble coat of arms reflecting both Dr. King's arc as well as the barriers my Black sisters and brothers face everyday.  This led to the line drawing above and I wanted to share it.  Apologies for the photograph as I do not have access to a scanner at the moment.  I say "attributed" arms because I'm attributing them to the movement.  Throughout the history of heraldry, it's not uncommon to see attributed arms, think those of Jesus or the Blessed Virgin Mary.  They did not bear arms as we know it, so history has granted arms to them.

The blazon for the attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter movement is as follows:  Argent a fist couped Sable flaunches gules masoned of the field, on a chief of the second a demi dove displayed of the first.    

My design rationale for these arms follows.  I knew I had to use the fist as the main charge, so I chose to render it sable (black).  I wanted to incorporate the flaunch to show the arcs as a reference to Dr. King's famous quotation, but show these as "masoned" so that they appear as brick walls.  This image of brick walls clearly illustrates the barriers that Black women and men have fought (and continue to fight) to break down.  Moreover, rendering the masoned walls in gules (red) reflects the blood of the innocent.  Overall, I wanted the white dove of peace in the chief (the top of the shield) to show that the arc of justice will bring peace.  I really wish I knew digital heraldry, as these arms would be gorgeous rendered in full color.

I love this design and the symbolism it carries.  I wanted to design something within the accepted rules of heraldry that was befitting the noble cause of justice for all Black lives, because Black lives matter.  

The attributed banner of the Black Lives Matter movement, by Dr. Krouse.

 

Update:  I've doodled some more as I was never quite happy with the dove's face.  Here's my revision as of June 10th.  The revised blazon is: Argent a fist couped Sable flaunches Gules masoned of the field, on a chief Vert a demi dove displayed of the first with a halo Or.  I hope this helps the overall color scheme and helps depict the dove of peace more fittingly.  For the dove, I used La Rose's arrangement for heraldic birds.  I mean, he's the best!  Click here to read an updated post on the attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The revised arms of the Black Lives Matter Movement by Dr. Krouse, June 10, 2010.

The Arms of Brookline Public Library

The arms of Brookline Public Library in Brookline, Massachusetts
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Several years ago, I became obsessed with the heraldry of Pierre de Chaignon La Rose (1872-1941), undeniably America's greatest heraldic designer.  La Rose, perhaps, made his greatest contributions in the fields of ecclesiastical and scholastic heraldry, advancing a design aesthetic unseen on American soil.  Prior to la Rose's explosion onto the scene, American heraldry was all over the place with plenty examples of poorly composed and designed arms.  From among the 200 or so coats that I've identified thus far designed by la Rose, there is one oddity among them that stands out, the Brookline Public Library.  The arms for the Brookline Public Library, known thus far, is the only non-academic or non-religious arms designed by la Rose.  Click here to read an updated article on the arms of Brookline Public Library.

Brookline, Massachusetts was the first town in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to establish their own library as a result of new legislation in 1857 allowing localities to adopt taxes for this purpose.  According to Battis, Reed & Clark (2009), the library committee set aside $100 in 1910 for the creation of a seal for use as a bookplate.  Interestingly enough, this is the first and only example that I've been able to find of what la Rose charged for his design services.  According to one website which adjusts for inflation, $100 in 1910 is today the equivalent of $2,780.00.  This is not an insignificant amount!  La Rose would have likely provided a sketch and a painting of the design, since he was not an engraver.  Most likely the seal was engraved by someone else in Boston.  

Brookline Public Library in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Source: The Brookline Library Webpage

Trustees of the Public Library of Brookline (1911) published in their 54th annual report critical information identifying la Rose as the designer.

"...reference should be made to the seal of the library, especially designed for the carved medallion over the east door of the facade, which also may be used on the stationary and bookplates.  We are indebted to Mr. Pierre La Rose for the design, and to Mr. Sturgis, our architect, for the final rendering of it" (363).

The bold and italicized words are my emphasis to make clear what is otherwise confusing to any heraldic outsider.  Understanding the difference between rendering or emblazoning a coat of arms versus designing them helps dispel understandable confusion.  Any artist or craftsman can render, illustrate, or emblazon a design for a given coat of arms by following its written description known as the blazon.  The blazon is constructed using the arcane Anglo-Norman vocabulary with nouns such as Or to mean Gold, or even more confusing to state Argent could be painted either White or Silver (artist's choice).  

To render--or fill in your preferred verb here--a coat of arms does not equate to designing them.  Thankfully the quotation from Trustees of the Public Library of Brookline (1911) does its best to separate these terms for accurately citing attribution.      

Brookline Public Library arms carved medallion in the pediment.
Source: The Brookline Library Flickr Site

Richard Clipston Sturgis (1860-1951) was a well-known Boston architect and most assuredly knew fellow architect Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942).  Cram and la Rose ran among similar Brahmin circles in Boston.  Based on my research, it is my belief that Cram was the one who leveraged his book of business in order to launch la Rose's heraldic career.  

The Bookplate created by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose in 1910.
Source: Battis, Reed & Clark (2009), 75.

Early on, Cram and la Rose partnered on a number of heraldic projects within the Episcopal Church.  Before too long, Cram's firm was slammed with work.  I also believe that at some point, Cram bowed to la Rose and acknowledged the latter's expertise on the subject of heraldry.  Thus, if Cram's firm had a project requiring heraldic work, the firm would recommend la Rose to the client.  

Armorial flag and coat of arms of Brookline Public Library
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Based on the hatching found on the image of the library's seal above, we can accurately construct the written description--or blazon--for the library's coat of arms.  I offer the following:

The blazon for the arms of Brookline Public Library: Gules, an open book bound and edged with three clasps Or inscribed "Sapientia Legendo" in base barry wavy Argent and Sable. 

Beautiful, elegant, and characteristically simple--la Rose was a brilliant heraldic artist.  And yes, I'm still obsessed with la Rose's work.

Works Cited

Battis, C., Reed, A., & Clark, A. (2009).  Public library of Brookline: A history celebrating 150 years of library service, 1857-2007.  Authors, 69.

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.

New Registrations of Arms

Because the U.S. lacks any heraldic authority to grant and regulate the use of coat armour, many Americans find themselves scrambling to protect their arms.  In the U.S., armingers for the most part assume their arms, meaning they design and then assign those arms as their own rightful property.  There are many Americans who look abroad for legitimacy, claiming grants of arms from Lord Lyon in Scotland, the Heralds' College in London, or even the Bureau in South Africa.  Each authority has strict regulations and requirements for eligibility, usually being able to document a direct lineage and descent.

In the U.S., the pre-eminent authority on arms is, perhaps, the Committee on Heraldry working under the auspices of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston.  The Committee is the oldest non-governmental organization to research and register arms in the U.S.  Click here to see my previous post on the NEHGS.   During this lockdown, I went through my inbox from 2014 to find some official confirmation that the Committee had in fact registered my arms on September 2, 2014.  After a few email exchanges, I was excited to receive the following confirmation letter.

Official letter of registration from the Committee on Heraldry, May 3, 2020.

Well, that letter ignited a fire in me to get my arms out there and registered in a few other places. 

Certificate of registration from the Society of American Armingers, May 7, 2020.

Certificate of registration from The Armorial Register, May 9, 2020.

Thus, below is the listing of registrations completed.  

• 2 September 2014 - The Committee on Heraldry, New England Historic Genealogical Society
• 4 February 2015 - U.S. Heraldic Registry, Registration #20150204G
• 7 May 2020 - The Society of American Armingers, Registration #AA0076
• 9 May 2020 - The Armorial Register, International Armorial, Registration #0550, Volume 4
• 30 July 2023 - Discord: The Heraldry Community Roll of Arms