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Washington as Freemason Rare Chromolith Ad 1870s

Rare and unusual advertising poster showing the first U.S. President, George Washington, officiating proceedings in a Masonic lodge room, chromolithograph mounted on a textured board (to imitate a painted surface), ca. 1870s; printed with a mostly illegible inscription along the bottom and stamped on the verso <i>FROM B.A. & A.S. WADHAMS / PUBLISHERS OF THE / CHROMO / WASHINGTON CLOSING / THE LODGE / GEN'L DEPOT FOR / MASONIC GOODS REGALIA, / JEWELS, BOOKS, MANUALS & C / 101 MADISON ST / CHICAGO</i>. He is shown wearing a Masonic apron and officer's collar with attached pendant and surrounded by Masonic implements including a mallet, square, trowel, and ruler, along with the symbolic letter "G" representing God and radiating divine light. Washington also stands among symbols of learning and knowledge such as books and Classical architecture including columns of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders. He is elevated on a platform with geometric motifs painted as trompe-l'oeil to resemble a carpet or rug. A skeleton in a coffin representing Death and the Eye of Providence are prominent among the symbolic imagery on Washington's apron.

Dimensions: 22"H x 15-1/2"W

On poster, occasional chipping and loss to edges; on verso, heavy scratching and gouging with some staining.

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