Record Details
Independent Order of Odd Fellows Plaque
Sometimes the fraternal context of an artwork is apparent only to an eye trained to “read” the symbolic language of fraternity. The sun represented on this plaque, with carved rays all around, is used as a symbol by various American fraternal groups. Research in nineteenth-century regalia catalogs reveals many lodges purchased such plaques to decorate their walls. For the Odd Fellows, the sun represented “truth, in its fullness and glory.”
Stacy C. Hollander, "Independent Order of Odd Fellows Plaque," exhibition label for Mystery and Benevolence: Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art from the Kendra and Allan Daniel Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2016.
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