Knights of Pythias double-sided cloth badge. One side features blue, yellow, and red vertical stripes with silver letters and gold tassels and the words "Lakeside Lodge, No. 367 K. of P. Collinwood, Ohio." The celluloid and metal badge bar features various Masonic symbols. A celluloid medallion with cloth ribbon and metal frame is attached. The medallion has a coat of arms featuring the letters "FBC," which stand for "friendship, charity, and benevolence." Ribbon embroidered "Chas W. Hammond." Back side of badge is black with 'In Memoriam" in silver print featuring a coat of arms. A Whitehead & Hoag paper label is between the ribbons.
Pinback button with illustration of a woman in a swimsuit sitting on a beachfront and the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks logo, a red star between elk antlers. Purple plastic ribbon with white print hangs from the button.
The button is a guest badge from the New Jersey State Convention of June 21-22, 1923, in Asbury Park, N.J.
This 1861 print contains two full length posthumous portraits of Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, one in regular uniform and the other in the outfit of the Fire Zouaves. Originally born New York in 1837, Ellsworth later moved to Illinois, where he found employment in Abraham Lincoln’s Springfield law office in 1860. He assisted Lincoln in his 1860 presidential campaign, accompanying the president-elect to Washington in 1861. Before the war, Ellsworth returned to his native New York City to raise the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regimen. A student of military history and science, Ellsworth was fascinated by the Zouaves, France’s colonial soldiers in Algeria. He emulated the drills and methods of this group when training his regiment and even based the design of his men’s uniforms on those of the Zouaves. Since many of the regiment’s enlistees came from New York’s volunteer fire departments, the unit earned the nickname, the “Fire Zouaves.”
On May 24th, 1861, the day after Virginia secession, Ellsworth entered Alexandria with soldiers from the 11th New York to aid in the city’s occupation, He was determined to remove a large rebel flag that had flown above one of the city’s inns for weeks and had even been visible through a spyglass from the White House. After removing the flag, he was shot by the inn’s pro-slavery owner, and became the first Union officer to be killed during the Civil War. Below his portrait, this print also contains a facsimile signature of the Colonel and the last letter he wrote before he was killed. In death, Ellsworth became a martyr for the Union cause and he was celebrated in printed illustrations, poems, and ballads. His legacy remained an inspiration for young Northern soldiers throughout the war, and “Remember Ellsworth!” quickly became a favorite rallying cry.
John L. Magee was born in New York around 1820 and was employed by the lithographic firms of James Baillie and Nathaniel Currier. He started his own business in New York City in 1850, but moved to Philadelphia sometime shortly after 1852. He was known mainly for his political cartoons, which he produced until the 1860s.
This 1861 posthumous portrait of Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth shows the Union colonel standing in uniform, arms folded, with his sword on his left hip. Originally born New York in 1837, Ellsworth later moved to Illinois, where he found employment in Abraham Lincoln’s Springfield law office in 1860. He assisted Lincoln in his 1860 presidential campaign, accompanying the president-elect to Washington in 1861. Before the war, Ellsworth returned to his native New York City to raise the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment to put down the rebellion. A student of military history and science, Ellsworth was fascinated by the Zouaves, France’s colonial soldiers in Algeria. He emulated the drills and methods of this group when training his regiment and even based the design of his men’s uniforms on those of the Zouaves. Since many of the regiment’s enlistees came from New York’s volunteer fire departments, the unit earned the nickname, the “Fire Zouaves.”
On May 24th, 1861, the day after Virginia secession, Ellsworth entered Alexandria with soldiers from the 11th New York to aid in the city’s occupation, He was determined to remove a large rebel flag that had flown above one of the city’s inns for weeks and had even been visible through a spyglass from the White House. After removing the flag, he was shot by the inn’s pro-slavery owner, and became the first Union officer to be killed during the Civil War. In death, Ellsworth became a martyr for the Union cause and he was celebrated in printed illustrations, poems, and ballads. His legacy remained an inspiration for young Northern soldiers throughout the war, and “Remember Ellsworth!” quickly became a favorite rallying cry.
This print was published by the lithographer Jon Henry Bufford. The son of a sign painter and gilder, Bufford trained with Pendleton's Lithography in Boston, 1829-1831. He worked in New York with George Endicott and Nathaniel Currier (1835-1839) before returning to Boston where he developed a reputation for printing and publishing popular prints, commercial work, labels, and trade cards. The company went through several iterations and name changes until about 1865. He became the chief artist for Benjamin Thayer until buying out the firm to found J. H. Bufford & Co. (1844-1851). He continued to work in the lithography and publishing business for the remainder of his life. In 1865, his sons Frank and Henry John became partners in Bufford & Sons or J.H. Bufford’s Sons Litho. Co. After his death they continued the family business as Bufford Brothers and as Bufford Sons Engraving & Lithographing Company until 1911.
The artist of this work, Joseph E. Baker (1837-1914), began as an apprentice at J. H. Bufford & Co. in 1857, eventually becoming John Bufford’s principal draftsman and illustrator of sheet music. He worked in NYC in 1860-1867 and specialized in portrait prints. During the Civil War he produced political cartoons and lithographs for Bufford. He later worked for Armstrong & Company, remaining active until 1888.
In 1864, in the midst of the third year of the Civil War, a clerk in the U.S. Treasury named Justus H. Rathbone founded the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization, in Washington, D.C. He hoped that the nation, torn apart by violence and hate, could begin to heal once renewed by the spirit of brotherhood. President Lincoln, upon learning of the group, expressed his approval of its mission and values, and the Knights became the first fraternal organization in the United States to be chartered through an Act of Congress. Rathbone found inspiration for the society in the Greek legend of Damon and Pythias, a story about noble friendship which had been popularized in a 19th-century play by the Irish poet John Banim. This 1872 membership certificate recognized that a brother of the order had progressed through the ranks of Page and Esquire and been initiated as a Knight.
The print features several illustrations depicting scenes from Banim’s, play Damon and Pythias, which he adapted from the original Greek legend. In the play, Damon is sentenced to death by the cruel tyrant Dionysius. When Damon asks for permission to put his affairs in order and say goodbye to his family, his friend Pythias volunteers to wait in prison in Damon’s place. Dionysius consents to this arrangement, but warns that whomever is in Damon’s cell in six hours will be the one who is executed. Damon returns in time for his execution, battling hardship, injury, and fatigue in his determined effort to save his friend. Dionysius is so moved by their bond that he allows both men to live. In the top left vignette, armed guards bring Damon before the king, who condemns him to death. In the top right vignette, Pythias volunteers to temporarily take Damon’s place, while his friend is forcibly restrained. In the central scene, Pythias points to a sundial, knowing that Damon will arrive in time. Damon is depicted pushing his way through a crowd to save his friend. Below this scene, another illustration shows Damon arguing with his servant next to a dead horse. In the legend, Damon’s servant kills the horse in an attempt to force his master to stay. Despite this setback, Damon returns in time for his execution.
Included between these scenes are three grisaille imitation statuettes above the letters “FCB,” which stand for the Pythian principles of Friendship, Charity, and Benevolence. Two friends clasping hands represent Friendship, a woman with her fingers to her lips represents Charity, and a knight represents Benevolence.
The lithographic firm of Ehrgott & Krebs was established by Peter E. Ehrgott (1827-1874) and Adolph Krebs (1831-1884). Peter Ehrgott first started a lithographic company in 1856 in Cincinnati with his partner Adolph Forbriger (1825-1869) as Ehrgott & Forbriger. The company worked under that name from 1856 until Forbriger’s death in 1869. Ehrgott then partnered that same year with Adolph Krebs, to form Ehrgott & Krebs. Adolph Krebs had originally founded Krebs & Brothers in 1856 with his brother Otto, but left to fight in the Civil War. Ehrgott & Krebs produced sheet music, postcards, and prints, and republished some 1865 music pieces by John L. Peters. The firm continued as a partnership until the retirement of Ehrgott in 1874. Adolph Krebs continued the business and changed the name to the Krebs Lithographing Company, which he ran until his death in 1884.
The print was published by Joseph D. Weeks & Co., which was based in Pittsburgh, although Weeks himself is listed as the Supreme Inner Steward of the Iowa chapter of the Knights, a position he held from 1872 to 1874.
Located in Kane County, Il, Mooseheart is a community for children in need founded by the fraternal order "The Loyal Order of the Moose" in 1913. Originally, Mooseheart only accepted children of male Moose members who died, but in the 1990s admission policies were expanded.