Behind the Scenes II: Restoring the Dignified Arms of Lenox School

The seal and arms of Lenox School as designed by la Rose.
I was fortunate to find a decent image which cleaned up rather nicely.

I've come to serve, not to be served, a simplification of Matthew 20:28, truly is my goal regarding the heraldic research of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941).  This passage from Matthew 20:28 was also the motto selected for the arms of Lenox School which was located in Lenox, Massachusetts.  Lenox School, affiliated with The Episcopal Church, opened its doors in 1926 to embody among many things, this Gospel passage from Matthew.  While the school closed in 1972, today an active alumni association continues to work assiduously to preserve the school's legacy.  Please click here to visit the Lenox School Alumni Association's website.  

La Rose's library painting of the arms of Lenox School. 
Image courtesy of the Lenox School Alumni Association.

Sometime between 1930-1931, la Rose was commissioned to design arms for the school and you can read more on his design in a previously written article.  Please click here to read "A Case Study of la Rose's Designs for Episcopal Preparatory Schools."

The blazon la Rose created for the arms of Lenox School: Sable, on a cross saltire an open book edged and inscribed Non ministrari Sed ministrare between three roses and in chief a martin all Or.

When I began researching la Rose's work back in 2014, Lenox School was among the first I discovered.  I immediately found the alumni association's online presence and sent my inquiry to them regarding their beautiful arms.  Much to my delight, I received a lot of information due largely to the group's work in documenting the history of Lenox School.  

Fast forward to 2023.  This past December, the alumni association kindly asked if they could publish my case study article, resuming a rich correspondence that began back in 2014.  No matter that those school doors closed so many years ago, I remain thankful for the association's dedication to sharing the school's story and this got me thinking.  How could I repay the association's kindness while also contributing towards their preservation efforts?  Well, since I was able to assist the Medieval Academy of America with their exquisite arms designed by la Rose, I figured I could do the same for Lenox School.  Please click here to read, "Behind the Scenes: The Heraldic Identity of the Medieval Academy of America."

I contacted my colleague Lucas Hofmann with my ideas, as he expertly recreated the arms for the Medieval Academy of America and I knew we could accomplish the same finished product for the alumni association.

Click image to enlarge.

From la Rose's library painting above, I was able to use his original version of the arms for restoration.  While the image was clearly distorted due to age, I knew we could work with this asset.  I wanted everything to match exactly as la Rose painted these arms--using the font which best matched la Rose's lettering, Stempel Schneidler, for the inscription on the open book and adding the two crosses pattee as well.  

In addition to the shield, I wanted to create an armorial flag and banner for Lenox School to showcase la Rose's masterful design for the school.  Based on my studies of how la Rose created armorial flags for those schools commissioning such pieces, I was able to carefully layout for Hofmann how Lenox School's arms would appear in this format.  What is the difference between an armorial flag and an armorial banner?  While there is a lot of history surrounding both, here is my simplified explanation.  

Click image to enlarge.

Armorial flags are heraldic ensigns appropriated for outdoor use and typically used by corporate bodies.  Rectangular in shape, the armorial flag often uses a ratio of 2:3; however, the flag of the corporate sole is rendered longer in length to show its importance in relation to any other flags.  

Armorial banner of arms for Lenox School, rendered by Lucas Hofmann.

In the modern era, armorial banners are usually square in shape and may include fringe around the border--which does not have to match livery colors.  Nowadays, armorial banners are typically flown indoors.  The banners displayed inside Westminster Abbey identifying Knights and Dames of the Order of the Bath, and those inside St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for members of the Order of the Garter, are just two examples of how armorial banners are used today.  

I was thrilled with Hofmann's work, per usual, and plan to send all my digital files to the alumni association with the hopes that they will use to celebrate la Rose's design for their beloved alma mater.  That the alumni association continues to use Lenox School's arms created between 1930-1931 proves the carrying power of clear, perspicuous heraldry to provide meaningful corporate identification even in 2024.  The arms of Lenox School are nearly 93-years old today, and I hope that by digitally rendering these arms they will be preserved and cherished for many more years to come.  

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.