Painted Ambitions

The Masonic Murals in the Elisha Gilbert House

Authors

  • Margaret Goehring New Mexico State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jrff.27087

Keywords:

Freemasonry, American folk art, wall painting, masonic iconography, masonic symbolism, early American masonic prints;

Abstract

This article investigates the masonic murals in the Elisha Gilbert House in New Lebanon, NY, looking into the circumstances of their creation, and their relationship to the role that freemasonry played in the region. The murals are found to be similar to those in the Calvin Hall Tavern in Cheshire, MA, and posits dating and a potential artist for both cycles, and investigates their relationship to the standardization of early American printed masonic iconography.

Author Biography

  • Margaret Goehring, New Mexico State University

    Margaret Goehring is Associate Professor of Art History, Department of Art, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces.

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Published

2018-07-03

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Goehring, M. (2018). Painted Ambitions: The Masonic Murals in the Elisha Gilbert House. Journal for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism, 6(2), 148-195. https://doi.org/10.1558/jrff.27087