Armorial Ensigns of the Well-Known

Arms of several Ivy League schools.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

This weekend I was able to scratch off several more projects, including these emblazonments.  Certainly well known, no doubt.

Arms of Princeton University.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

I was actually a bit surprised with how my version of Princeton's arms turned out.  The tenne, or orange "stain," looks like stain to me!

Arms of the University of Pennsylvania.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. 

And since both Princeton and UPenn share basically the same field division (chevron and chief), these two arms came together in vector format rather quickly.

Arms of Brown University.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Brown University's coat of arms are rather simple and quite lovely as such--I especially like how the open books are blazoned in red.  In rendering their arms in my heater shield shape, it is acceptable to have the sizes of the charges in base be smaller than their chiefly counterparts.

Arms of Stanford University.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

While I previously shared my emblazonment for Stanford University's arms, it only seems fitting to include those here--the "Harvard of the West Coast."

I wanted to get the arms of Cambridge and Oxford completed as well.  

Honestly, I feel like the sky is my limit now when considering which heraldic projects to tackle next.  Practicing with all these well-know arms has been great to learn my software (and more importantly, patience).

Arms of Cambridge University.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Arms of Oxford University.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

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!

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.

Lilies and Swords

Arms of St. Joseph's Academy, St. Paul, MN.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In 1851, the Sisters of St. Joseph established St. Joseph's Academy in St. Paul, MN and would later enlist Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) to design a proper coat of arms for the school.  Created in 1927, la Rose blazoned the arms:  Azure, a semme of Madonna lilies Argent, on a sword in pale Or with hilt in base, an open book edged with two clasps Or inscribed Suboles Doctrinae Pietas (“Reverence, Scion of Scholarship”). 

A library print of the Academy's arms from St. Joseph Academy (1971).
From the Author's private collection.

I remember well when I stumbled upon these arms years ago, utterly fascinated by la Rose's semme work with the lilies.  A striking design for the Sister's school.

Learning how to recreate la Rose's design in vector format presented some challenges.  The library print above was my only guide and I struggled to figure out how to make the semme of lilies work.    After learning what a "clipping mask," is and how to use it, bam we have semme!  

The design incorporates the lilies to reference the Sisters of St. Joseph, and the sword in pale geographically locates the academic institution in St. Paul, MN.  Simple, clear, and perspicuous heraldry at its finest.  La Rose's ability to abstractly illustrate multiple data points in one harmonious design is truly his gift to US corporate heraldry--setting a standard without the need for quartered arms littered with multiple charges as so often seems to be the case in scholastic heraldry.

I simply love this design.

Works Cited

St. Joseph Academy. (1971).  School of happy memories: A pictorial history 1851-1971.  Privately printed.

Lecture Notice

Free virtual lecture announcement!!!

Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 17th at 7:00 p.m. (Eastern) for a free virtual lecture sponsored by the American Heraldry Society.  

To register for this program, please click here for the American Heraldry Society's registration page.

I'll be presenting--for the first time--one of my favorite themes from my research on Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941), his use of the phoenix rising from its flames.  We'll cover both some scholastic and ecclesiastical heraldry.  I promise to make this exciting and captivating so log on and join us!