36th International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences

The logo for the 36th Congress created by the talented Matthew Alderman.

For the first time in its history, the International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences (ICGHS) will be held in the United States this September.  Established by the Académie Internationale d’Héraldique, the first congress convened in Madrid during 1929 and quickly became an essential gathering for genealogical and heraldic scholars from around the world.  The 36th Congress will take place in Boston and being generously hosted by American Ancestors and its Committee on Heraldry.  Click here to view the full program and registration information for the 36th Congress.

The theme for the 36th Congress, "origins, journeys, destinations," informs the programs and presentations this year, while perfectly embodying the American spirit and history at the same time.  Genealogy and heraldry are equally balanced within the programming, forming the two core subjects.  In terms of heraldry, proposals were requested to address questions such as how does heraldry create, preserve, or reinforce group identity and proposals were to align with this theme.

This past Fall, I submitted a proposal to the Congress' Scientific Committee on la Rose's heraldic work for numerous Roman Catholic religious communities and their corresponding academic institutions they established.  My tailored focus on these particular communities thematically worked well, as they shared European origins and moved throughout the US in the early 20th century as a result of their missionary work.  In my mind, no proceedings on heraldry occurring in Boston would be complete without examining la Rose's work.    

I labored over the title and abstract, knowing I had but one shot at giving la Rose his proper place in the annals of the Congress.  Ultimately, I chose, "The Heraldic Carpenter:  Pierre de Chaignon la Rose Fashioning New American Identity," honoring la Rose's role as a heraldic carpenter of sorts, effectively constructing designs that honored the origins of these communities while identifying their destinations at the same time.  A certain reader will happily note that I no longer refer to la Rose as a "herald," acquiescing to reason and sound argument.  My thinking continues to evolve on the use of this particular noun.  

With a 300 word limit, I submitted the following abstract (in 290 words, no less):

"Corporate heraldry in the United States experienced a significant revival during the early 20th Century, fueled in part by the missionary work of several Roman Catholic religious communities and their need to authentic diplomas for newly established educational institutions. These religious communities, founded in Europe, required a new American identity and placed their faith in the capable hands of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) of Harvard.

"As the nation’s leading expert in ecclesiastical heraldry, la Rose assiduously built his reputation within the Roman Catholic Church following his landmark commission for arms in 1910 for the Archdioceses of Baltimore and Boston.

"Through a thematic analysis of 250 designs of corporate arms by la Rose, this paper will examine how the designer constructed a framework without any precedence in the US to illustrate the ancestral origins of several Roman Catholic religious communities while accomplishing unification and differencing in their arms at the same time. 

"Void of any heraldic authority in the US, la Rose built his methods based on the ancient rules and customs of heraldry, while forging a new pathway for corporate arms in America. La Rose fashioned new identity for these communities by employing unique charges representing their European foundations for unification, while differencing their arms based on their destinations, such as new colleges or branches of the community. 

"La Rose filled a critical need in the US and was the first herald to employ these methods to create and preserve group identity while setting a high standard for best practices in designing corporate arms.

"Through the brilliance of la Rose’s designs for these communities, he would render clear and perspicuous heraldry and many are still used today for identification."

The result?  I'm going to Boston!  

When I received the official notification, I nearly fell down.  I was filled with lots of emotions.  It's rather quite difficult to render words that do justice to my long and winding journey researching la Rose.  I never imaged 10 years ago where I would be standing today.  

All in all, I'm feeling the magnitude of what this opportunity means for me, and I promise to not let la Rose down. 

Behind The Scenes: The Heraldic Identity of The Medieval Academy of America

The arms of the Medieval Academy of America.
Rendered by Lucas Hofmann, 2024.

Just as I began winding down data collection on the heraldic work of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941), I came across a special discovery.  This discovery appeared highly suspicious and needed to be qualified for la Rose's possible involvement--I sighed, admittedly, as sometimes finding hard evidence regarding the designer is not ordinarily an artifact most organizations readily have in their archives.  Following 10 years of this work, I was skeptical about learning anything about the designer behind my newfound discovery.

  

The Medieval Academy of America was established in Boston during the later part of December 1925, and their adopted arms bore all the la Rosian hallmarks--especially given the design was based on another in my data.  I was intrigued.  After sending a detailed email to the Academy hoping to learn something, I waited.  Much to my delight, I received a response from the director within an hour, and on a Sunday evening to boot.  My suspicion was confirmed, la Rose had indeed designed these arms.  Moreover, I learned from the archival documents that none other than Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942), one of the founders of the new academical enterprise, recruited la Rose.  I've said before, whenever Cram is involved and there's a need for heraldry, la Rose is surely close behind.

Unfortunately the Academy could not find a colored emblazonment of their arms, as seemingly all  publications used a black and white line drawing.  La Rose's blazon for these arms was discovered in the archives and offered the final piece to this puzzle.  Something, I believed, needed to be done for the Academy, and the solution sparked an idea to celebrate the end of data collection.

I quickly contacted my colleague Lucas Hofmann, a talented digital artist in Europe, with my ideas.  Essentially, we would recreate an exact emblazonment of the Academy's arms in full color and provide a variety of applications for their exclusive use.  

Process flow for rendering a modern emblazonment.

I selected a rather blurry image of the shield found inside the cover page from a 1929 Academy publication, believing this early line art represented the original from la Rose.  From the images above, you can see how Hofmann took the blurred image and transformed it using color and shading.

It was important to capture every minute detail from the 1929 image, the lines for the rose, the rays from the sun, and so forth.  I believe Hofmann pulled everything together beautifully, embodying exactly la Rose's creative design for the Academy.  As far as we knew, the renderings provided to the Academy represented the first time in modern history that members could see their arms in full color--a major victory for la Rose.

Designing the armorial flag.  Left is a pencil sketch by the author, and the digital emblazonment on the right is by Lucas Hofmann.

Additionally, I wanted to give the Academy two applications of how they could use their arms as an armorial flag and a banner.  Since the Academy hosts large academic conferences across the US, I felt it might be nice to have physical assets on display at gatherings to give members a sense of pride.  While no such design existed in the archives, likely because the Academy did not commission a flag at that time, I was able to render the design based on collected data from la Rose which provides his technique for armorial flags.

From the image above, I made a pencil sketch illustrating how I believe la Rose would have rendered the arms as a flag--extending both cardinal and ordinal points of the sun to the edges of the border.  We know one important aspect of la Rose's design philosophy was to "fill the field," and I wanted my sketch to honor that point.

The end result blew me away and exceeded my expectations.  The Academy was truly appreciative of this unexpected gesture of gratitude, and my mission was accomplished.  

From the beginning in 2014, I set out to not only collect la Rose's designs, but to help provide those organizations bearing his work with information about the designer and the rationale of their arms.  My ultimate goal is to give the heraldic designer his proper place in history and nothing more.  In the case of the Medieval Academy of America, bringing their arms to life in full color was exciting while honoring that goal at the same time.

Finally, I provided the Academy with a complete write up regarding the arms which they recently published.  Please click here to read my article and learn about the arms of the Medieval Academy of America.

Heraldry was meant to be seen in full color to provide clear identification of its owner.  The arms of the Academy have become a cherished symbol of scholarly excellence widely recognized in the field of medieval studies.  La Rose's design which is still used today will celebrate a highly respectable 100th birthday in 2027, proof that well designed armorial bearings convey powerful recognition and identity well into the 21st century.

The American Heraldry Society Selects Design Award Recipient

Armorial banners of the American Heraldry Society
and the School of Theology rendered by Lucas Hofmann.

The American Heraldry Society recently announced the 2024 winner of its design award, and this year's recipient is the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.  Established in 2006, the award is named in honor of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941), the great American heraldic designer responsible for reviving heraldry in the US during the early 20th Century.  Click here to read the full press announcement.

Arms of the School of Theology,
rendered by Lucas Hofmann.

The award has a unique purpose, to encourage and support excellence in American heraldry by recognizing coat of arms that provide the bearer with a strong public identity embodying the best heraldic design of the highest form, function, and aesthetic.  Society members may nominate any US corporate body from academic, military, civic, religious, or social organizations whose arms exemplify the best in heraldic design. There is one additional requirement for the nominee:  the arms must have been designed in the United States. 

The Society's mission is, "to promote the study and proper use of heraldry in America," and one way it advances that mission is through the design award.  In other words, the award is a celebration of the best in American heraldry.

I was proud to nominate the arms of my alma mater and honor the important contributions its designer made to field of American heraldry.  Designed in 1981 by Sewanee alumnus and professor Dr. James Warring McCrady, the arms of the seminary incorporated the colors red and gold from the arms used by The Rev. William Porcher DuBose (1836-1918).  DuBose served as the seminary’s second dean and widely known throughout the Episcopal Church as a scholar and theologian.  

Armorial flag of the arms of the School of Theology,
rendered by Lucas Hofmann.

The fleam represents the dedication of the student body to St. Luke and the seminary's original chapel on campus--history has attributed the saint as a surgeon. McCrady added the bar on the surgical device to create a unique crossed charge to clearly identify the school’s mission of priestly formation for the church. One important contribution to American heraldry made by McCrady was his creation of the “Sewanee tressure.” The tressure was a creative way to show corporate unification within all three arms he designed, and its name was suggested by the Lord Lyon in 1981 as McCrady submitted his designs for peer review to the authority in Scotland. 

Blazon:  Gules, on a cross Or surmounted by a Sewanee Tressure counter-changed a crossed fleam Sable. 

Having spent three formative years on the Domain of the University of the South as a seminarian, I had a lot of time to "inhabit" and own these arms.  For me, at least, they represent far more than a great design, they hold precious memories and important life lessons learned.  Click here to read a deeper analysis on the arms of the School of Theology. 

Solved: An Official Blazon for Tift College

Tift College's coat of arms designed by Col. Harry D. Temple.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic I found myself going down deep research holes regarding US scholastic arms.  One of the more interesting finds were the arms of Tift College which was located in Forsyth, Georgia.  Tift closed in 1987 and absorbed by Mercer University, and at the time finding detailed information in Mercer's archives yielded little.    

The armorial ensigns of Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia.

I kept running into one major problem.  Based on the best emblazonment of Tift's arms that I could find, the tincture for the chief remained unclear.  Vert or azure, I wondered.  I shared my data in the newly created Scholastic Heraldry group on Facebook in hopes that someone may have an answer.  Well, things got even more confusing.  My colleague from the American Heraldry Society, Joseph McMillan, shared an emblazonment he discovered in the files of the US Army's Institute of Heraldry--the rendering showed Gules for the chief.  So, which was the final adopted version of Tift's arms?  We agreed that without an official blazon for these arms we may likely never know.  

Perhaps an early draft of Tift's arms,
courtesy of Mr. Joseph McMillan.

According to Stone (1969), the arms of Tift College were designed by Col. Harry D. Temple (1911-2004) in 1965 (173).  Somewhere I learned that Temple had a daughter enrolled at Tift which likely explains his involvement.  Temple was simply a force in US heraldry during the mid to late 20th Century, making countless contributions to the cause for clear and smart heraldry.  Towards the end of his career in the US Army, Temple led its Institute of Heraldry and was later appointed to the Episcopal Church's Advisory Committee on Heraldry in 1983 (Wright, 2005).  A commemoration of Temple's life and work was published by his alma mater, Virginia Tech.  The article notes that not only did Temple design the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but rendered countless arms and designs for organizations:

"Temple also designed 42 coats of arms in the National Cathedral in Washington and the coat of arms for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, which was the first officially granted coat of arms from the Army to a unit outside the regular Army, National Guard, or Army Reserve. He shepherded it through the process to become officially registered with the U.S. Office of Heraldry. According to Temple's own estimates, he designed between 200 and 300 coats of arms for schools, colleges, and churches" (Cox, 2004).

Recently, I was back in a deep rabbit hole researching armorial bearings possibly connected to Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) when I stumbled upon a copy of Tift College's yearbook from 1967.  Mercer University's Archives had since added this work to their Tift College collection.  Inside the Chiaroscuro, I discovered Temple's blazon and design rationale.  I was giddy with excitement.

Page snippet from Tift (1967) page 107.
Click to enlarge.

The following blazon for Tift College's arms is found on page 107 in Tift (1967), and from this document the chief's color is azure:

Shield: "Argent a cross sable with a maltese cross of the first, on a chief azure three roses or barbed vert."

Crest:  "On a wreath argent and sable a rising sun or charged with a sprig of oak fructed azure" (107).

From the rationale, its interesting to note the use of the maltese cross to symbolize St. John the Baptist while alluding to the College's ties to the Georgia Baptist Convention.  The golden roses in triplicate found on the blue chief represent three fundamentals espoused by the College: "development for usefulness in a democratic society, a high responsibility to establish the Christian family, a broad outlook for service" (Tift, 1967, 107).  Moreover, the roses represent the State of Georgia's official flower, the Cherokee Rose, while symbolizing, "gracious and blossoming young womanhood" (Tift, 1967, 107).

Problem solved.  Finding answers regarding corporate arms from closed institutions can be frustrating and rewarding at the same time.  I am thankful for Mercer University's ongoing work to preserve Tift College's history and legacy in US higher education.  As more documents are digitized and made accessible through the Internet, future discoveries--such as Tift's blazon--will add to our knowledge and understanding of the American heraldic tradition.

Works Cited

Cox, C. (2004 Feb 25). Designer of Nation's Presidential Medal of Freedom Dies.  Virginia Tech News.  https://news.vt.edu/articles/2004/02/2004-202.html

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

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

Wright, J.R. (2005 May 26).  Heraldry of the American Episcopal Church [Lecture summary].  New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.  https://silo.tips/download/heraldry-of-the-american-episcopal-church