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Cowan's Corner
Odd Fellows Equipment, Symbolizing “Friendship, Love, and Truth,” Popular Among Folk Art Collectors
By Wes Cowan
The centuries-old fraternal organization, The Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, has come into favor of late. Well, at
least Odd Fellows equipment has created a stir in the folk art
world. Collectors are enamored with the often hand-carved
and hand-painted items that were used in fraternal ceremonies
and lodge meetings.
The Order of Odd Fellows, like the Masons, began in
England in the 18th century and migrated to this country. The
Independent (showing the break from its English ancestors)
Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) was founded in the United
States in 1819. They were a benevolent society whose
covenants involved helping their fellow man (and woman and
child). Their commitments were:
1. Bury the dead.
2. Protect widows and orphans.
3. Help each other in want.
4. Counsel each other in difficulty.
5. Improve and elevate the character of man.
6. Enlighten his mind.
7. Enlarge the sphere of his affections.
As this nation grew and expanded, these duties, borne by
neighbors and fraternal organizations, were assumed by notfor-
profit organizations, insurance companies, Social Security,
workers’ compensation and unemployment.
According to The Encyclopedia of Folk Art, IOOF emblems
were made either by enthusiastic members of the organization,
expressing their devotion to the fraternity, or by professional
artisans and artists. The Odd Fellows’ motto, “Friendship,
Love and Truth,” symbolized by a chain with three links,
embodies their covenants. This symbol appears often on various pieces of Odd
Fellows’ equipment.
Other objects,
incorporated in fraternal
plays, ceremonies and
initiations, are also
allegorical. The Odd Fellows
used several emblems to
represent their commitments,
including the Heart and
Hand, the Eye of God,
the Ax, the Bee Hive, the
Bundle of Rods, the Arrows,
the Lamb and the Dove, and
a Skull and Cross Bones.
They are found in various
forms, be it paper or textiles,
carved wood, or in silver as
fraternal jewelry.
These emblems have
become highly sought-after
objects of American folk art.
Hand-painted, hand-carved
or hand-hammered fraternal
emblems are appealing to
some collectors because
of their sculptural quality.
Other collectors are attracted
to the aura of mysterious
rituals and systems the
equipment conveys. Still
others are motivated by the
nostalgia of a simpler, kinder
America, where individuals
gathered to share friendship
and goodwill.
Whatever the motivation,
an endless variety of
fraternal equipment exists
to interest a new collector.
Small objects (pins,
badges, hats, booklets and
inexpensive jewelry) are a
great place to start. Jewelry,
badges, sparkling collars,
colorful robes, grand banners
and many types of wooden,
carved and painted objects
are popular fraternal items to
collect. Staffs, wood-carved
and painted and ceremonial
objects are pricier as they
have sculptural appeal and a
hand-crafted quality.
Treasures of IOOF items
turn up on the web, at yard
sales and at auction houses.
Every year, more lodges
close, and members sell their
equipment—a testimony
to the smaller and smaller
field of hand-crafted objects
becoming another part of
our American past. As with
any collection, choosers
need always be aware
of condition—naturally
occurring age is one thing;
broken is quite another.
 About the author: Wes Cowan is founder and
owner of Cowan’s Auctions,
Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio. An
internationally-recognized
expert in historic Americana,
Wes stars in the PBS
television series History
Detectives and is a featured
appraiser on Antiques
Roadshow. He can be
reached via email at info@cowans.com. Research by
Roxanne Argenbright.
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Odd Fellows Jonathan Coat costume, ca. 1900,
est. at $300-$500.
Rare Odd Fellows Degree Banner from an Ohio
Lodge, ca. 1900; sold for $470
An
Indiana
Odd
Fellows
Lodge
Folky
Heart-
In-Hand
Staff,
ca. 1858,
$4,465.
Late-19th C. paintdecorated
Odd Fellows
staff; sold for $763.75,
Cowan’s Fine and
Decorative Art Auction.
Folky Odd Fellows
hand-painted hourglass,
sold for $1,410.
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