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The artist William Hogarth, FRSA (1697-1764) was a Freemason in the lodges that met in the Hand and Apple Tree Tavern and the Bear and Harrow Tavern in London in the early eighteenth century, and he served as a Grand Steward in 1735. He is beloved in the art world for having revived the medieval art form called “Pictured Morality,” where the grim consequences of human weaknesses are exposed to warn us all. He would create series of images that could be taken together, like a cartoon strip, or could be appreciated individually without diminishing the moral of the story. He is beloved by me because, as a fairly recent edition of Chambers Biographical Dictionary paints him: “With an unerring eye for human foibles, [Hogarth] was often forthright to the point of coarseness, but although his didactic purpose was unmistakable, seldom indulged in melodrama.”
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A new book by art historian and Freemason Jeremy Bell, published for the tercentenary celebration of English Freemasonry, threatens to expose all the Signs of the Craft, as the author jokes in his promotion of the book, adding:
Don’t worry Brother, this was all done in paintings from the 1700s! William Hogarth, Grand Lodge Steward, concealed the following in his popular prints:
- signs, passwords, and knocks of the EA, FC, MM, and Mark Master;
- Grand Hailing Sign and Five Points of Fellowship;
- riddles that hint at the Grand Masonic Word;
- Royal Arch sign and Ineffable Word; and
- The first depiction of the letter G, Square and Compass, Labor to Refreshment, and much more!
William Hogarth: A Freemason’s Harlot contains 300 illustrations—and there’s more! What makes this new art history book remarkable is its author’s theory of Masonic symbolism being encoded in Hogarth’s work. More than the obvious Masonic regalia plainly seen in “Night,” but more esoteric imagery that I suppose only the initiated eye can discern. To wit:
About the author, from the publicity:
Jeremy Bell has written articles on Freemasonry for British Art Journal and for the monthly publication of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. He was asked to contribute a paper to a recent anthology that commemorated the 250th anniversary of Hogarth’s passing: Hogarth: 50 New Essays: International Perspectives on Eighteenth-Century English Art.
And, he writes:
I fulfilled the dying wishes of my grandfather when I became a Freemason in Edinburgh’s Celtic Lodge 291 on the Royal Mile. I was 18. When I emigrated to America, I bought an 18th century coaching inn which had a ballroom that was a Masonic lodge in the late 1700s. It just so happened that the Grand Master of Grand Lodge lived next door. He made me his Grand Lodge Piper and granted me a dispensation to hold Masonic meetings in my home. I was able to put some friends through their degrees in the 18th century manner in the ballroom!
I was actually researching Hogarth’s prints at the same time for a speech I was doing on the history of rum for Goslings Black Seal (Bermuda). Hogarth features bowls of rum punch in several of his prints. I started to find more Masonic details within his lesser known paintings.
More than 10 years of research went into writing the book. What seems obvious now, actually took years for me to find! I sent a few emails around to Hogarth experts and they were kind enough to reply and comment. Professor Shesgreen was a huge help, and introduced me to the editor of British Art Journal, who suggested writing this book.
A sequel to this book already is in production.
