Recent Posts
Friday, October 25, 2024
Armorial Ensigns of Sweet Briar College
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Investiture: The Order of St. John
St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Photo by the Author. |
Our Lady of Fifth Avenue inside St. Thomas Church. Photo by the Author. |
Quiet moments before the service. Photo by the Author. |
Arms of the US Priory, The Order of St. John. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. |
My decoration as a Member. |
The parish's letters patent were on display. The artist workmanship is exquisite. |
A new badge! |
Father Andrew's cope resplendent with heraldry. |
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Armorial Ensigns of the Lesser Known
Arms of the Institutum Divini Thomae. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. |
As a follow up to my previous post showcasing emblazonments of several Ivy League schools and other prominent academic institutions, I felt it was only fitting to highlight arms from equally noble institutions likely unknown to some.
I am thrilled to present for the first time in digitized full-color, the arms of the Institutum Divi Thomae. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the institute was a scholarly venture of the Roman Catholic Church focusing on scientific research. Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) designed the arms for the institute in 1936 with a few unique marks of identification. The inscription on the open book reinforces this mission, while the sun in splendor in dexter canton references St. Thomas Aquinas.
Blazon: Or, on a cross Gules an open book edged with two clasps Or inscribed Religio Scientia between four bezants, in dexter canton a sun Gules.
It truly brings joy creating arms knowing its the first time the design joins the digital age.
Arms of Rice University. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024 |
Rice University was designed in 1912 by la Rose--his first design for a secular institution. La Rose's blazon for the arms of Rice University: Azure, two chevronels Argent between as many Athenian Owls Argent.
The famous American architect and father of "collegiate gothic," Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942) designed the arms for Groton School in 1904. Located in Groton, Massachusetts, the school's coat of arms is blazoned: Argent, on a cross Gules a sword in pale point to base with hilt ensigned of a coronet all of the field, on a chief Sable three open books of the field.Arms of Bryn Mawr College. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. |
The arms of Bryn Mawr College are quite striking to say the least. Designed in 1904 by the College of Arms in London--designed, no grant as far as I know--the arms are blazoned: Per pale, Or and Ermine three owls proper.
College of Arms you say working with a US college in 1904? According to the College, yes. I will definitely want to see if these arms were granted. My hunch is that a herald did the design work and dispensed with all the legalities, etc.
Arms of the University of Washington St. Louis. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024 |
Arms of Washington & Lee University. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. |
Blazon for the arms of Washington & Lee University: Quarterly. 1st Azure open book Argent thereon inscribed OMNIA AUTEM PROBATE. 2nd Argent two bars in chief three mullets Gules (Washington). 3rd Gules a fess chequy Azure and Or between ten billets Argent, four in chief, three, two, and one in base (Lee). 4th Azure a cinquefoil pierced Argent, a bordure engrailed Ermine.
The coat of arms of Washington & Lee University, with crest and motto. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. |
Banner of arms of Washington & Lee University. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. |
Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. |
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The following three arms below were designed by la Rose and perhaps represent his most controversial work in the 21st Century. The arms of Grace Hopper College at Yale were not designed by la Rose, but I want to showcase these new arms. All three of la Rose's designs have been retired and I wanted to ensure their conservation.
As our collective social consciences woke to finally acknowledge the pain and struggles our sisters and brothers of color endure in the US every day, institutions nationwide took a deep internal look at names and symbols that no longer represent everyone in their constituencies. Colleges and universities--especially--removed names from institutions and buildings and even retired logos and symbols too.
My efforts to preserve these designs stem purely from a heraldic perspective and scholarship.
Arms of Calhoun College at Yale (since been renamed). Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024 |
The arms of Calhoun College, the name of a former undergraduate residence at Yale, were designed by la Rose in 1931 and simply blazoned: Argent, a saltire engrailed Sable; a chief of the arms of Yale. The namesake of the residence had ties to slavery and thus Yale retired the name as well as the arms.
The new arms of Grace Hopper College at Yale. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. |
Calhoun was replaced with Grace Hopper for the residential college. The new arms of Grace Hopper College became official in 2017 and blazoned: Azure semé of Plates and Billets Argent a Dolphin embowed Or; on a Chief Argent a Fess engrailed Sable.
Former arms of Kirkland House at Harvard. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. |
La Rose designed the arms for Kirkland House at Harvard in 1931. The design in recent years caused a stir, as many at Harvard believed Kirkland's arms too closely resembled the Confederate flag. Thus, these arms were effectively retired and new design ushered in.
Former arms of Harvard Law. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. |
As part of his heraldic program for Harvard's Tercentenary celebrations in 1936, la Rose devised arms for all the schools of university. The arms of Harvard Law, however, would become a lightening rod for controversy and effectively retired in 2016. The issue: the three gold garbs of wheat representing Isaac Royall, Jr., whose family had owned slaves. In 2021, the law school unveiled new arms.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Armorial Ensigns of the Well-Known
Select arms of Ivy League Schools. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. |
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 Columbia University. Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. |
The arms of Columbia University were not adopted until 1949 and was the result of a collaboration between Milton Halsey Thomas (Curator, Columbia's Archives), Phillip M. Hayden (Secretary of Columbia), and Harold H. Booth ("specialist in heraldry") and blazoned: Azure, a chevron Argent between as many king's crowns Or.
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. |