National Protective Legion Shelf Clock1891–193011 1/4 × 10 × 2 3/4"Metal and glassGift of Kendra and Allan Daniel2015.1.14601555465153James M. Goodell Jr.Furniture/FurnishingsThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain.http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster24258AustinAustinUnited StatesIllinoisThree Dimensional WorksFraternal Art and ObjectsAustinThis clock, showing a figure of liberty with a child and a flag, reads “National Protective Legion.” The Legion was a fraternal beneficiary society organized by Freemasons in New York in 1891. The aims of the group were “benevolence, social culture, the care of the sick and needy, and to provide and maintain a fund for the benefit of its members while living, and for the protection of their families in the event of death.” By 1907, the group numbered around four thousand members.
A mark on the back identifies the manufacturer as James M. Goodell Jr. of Austin, Illinois. Goodell operated a successful fraternal supply business. According to one of his calling cards, the firm offered “emblems, charms, pins, lapel buttons, and all kinds of society paraphernalia.” Goodell’s Masonic affiliation, if any, is not known, but he is listed in a 1904 volume of fraternal statistics as the Supreme President for the Daughters of Columbia in Chicago.
Stacy C. Hollander, "National Protective Legion Shelf Clock," 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.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orghttp://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster24258http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster24258http://nodes.emuseum.com/BU1BGBAG/apis/emuseum/network/v1/vocabularies/termMaster2425818911930 2015 1 146 This clock, showing a figure of liberty with a child and a flag, reads “National Protective Legion.” The Legion was a fraternal beneficiary society organized by Freemasons in New York in 1891. The aims of the group were “benevolence, social culture, the care of the sick and needy, and to provide and maintain a fund for the benefit of its members while living, and for the protection of their families in the event of death.” By 1907, the group numbered around four thousand members.
A mark on the back identifies the manufacturer as James M. Goodell Jr. of Austin, Illinois. Goodell operated a successful fraternal supply business. According to one of his calling cards, the firm offered “emblems, charms, pins, lapel buttons, and all kinds of society paraphernalia.” Goodell’s Masonic affiliation, if any, is not known, but he is listed in a 1904 volume of fraternal statistics as the Supreme President for the Daughters of Columbia in Chicago.
Stacy C. Hollander, "National Protective Legion Shelf Clock," 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.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org