1932 Hattie E. Burdette Litho on Canvas

This is what started me on my journey on collecting original art and prints. I bought this for $125. It's an original litho on canvas of Brother George Washington in his Master Lodge done by Hattie E. Burdette for Washington's Bicentenial in 1932. These were produced for lodges that were around at that time. The original, hangs in the Washington Memorial in Alexandria, VA. I'm never getting rid of this one.

 

I'd call that an oleograph but the flash burn makes it pretty hard to see. It is always advisable to delete any flash burnt pictures and seek better light elsewhere even if it means taking the picture down from the wall.

 

I will try to get better pictures later but I can tell you that the print is raised, as if to give effect of an original oil painting. There is canvas on the reverse but you can tell that it's a print because of small tears on the bottom that shows the paper. It does appear to have a varnish applied to it.

 

I seen a posting where just the print itself, not framed or on canvas, sold for $625 back in Feb. I would think that mine would be more valuable with it being on original frame on original canvas.

 

I like your story -- It sounds like you did some research on this in order to identify it. That's my favorite part.

 

I try to spend lots of time looking up information on things I buy. Sometimes I get lucky, sometimes I strike out. This one was fairly easy, to a certain degree, to identify. I love researching and studying objects.

 

Armando, are you a Mason or is that for decorative purposes??? I should have asked Freemason

 

I'm not a Freemason but I find it very intriguing. I didn't buy it for decorative purposes. I knew it was Washington in his Masters Lodge. I bought it because I like the history behind the painting. I plan on framing this in a glass casing.

 

What do you mean by a glass casing? That might not be good for the picture. Sometimes they like to breathe. Light control is probably a bigger consideration.

 

I would like to protect it from any dust, etc. lighting. I have it in a corner where it hardly gets light and it's away from any vents.

 

I think when people say that the picture needs to breathe, they are referring more so to oil paintings, since it takes a long time for the oil to dry.

 

Unless you're in a situation where you have smokers in the house, I don't think special protection is required. If you do have smokers, put your pictures in a non-smoking room and enforce the rule. Make that room your little home museum. It might be worth it anyhow, considering the volume of stuff you seem to be looking forward to. As far as dust is concerned, look into air filters - good for all your stuff and probably for you as well, and cheaper in the long run.

You've got this picture. You like it. You want to keep it. There will be others.

 

Thank goodness there are no smokers in the house! I wouldn't stand for that. We buy the cheap air filters but I may want to up grade. I do dust every week. We have three dogs that like to shed a lot and that doesn't help things. I do plan on keeping this for a very long time. I keep the house at about 73 degrees and like I stated before, I try to keep my art away from the vents. I've had it for 2 yrs now and it still looks the same as I bought it, hopefully that continues.

 

Here are some better pictures. Sorry if it took so long. I forgot about this thread. At the bottom it says

Hattie E. Burdette
Copyright Sol Bloom
George Washington Bicentennial Celebration

 

I like being able to see it better... May not be able to help with any questions, though!

 

If I may quote from "George Washington:American Symbol" pg. 84: "The artist Hattie E. Burdette once again used the chair, hat, and pedestal in a portrait of Washington as Master of the Alexandria Lodge for the US George Washington Bicentennial Commission. NY Congressman Sol Bloom, director of this body, and a member of NY's Pacific Lodge No. 233, took pride in his agency's insistence on "realism." In consultation with F. Walter Mueller, a member of Century Lodge No. 100 in South Orange, NJ, Bloom reviewed many Masonic portraits of Washington before rejecting them all as inaccurate. He then hired Burdette to recreate a portrait in which the figure was based upon Houdon's statue of Washington while the overall work incorporated the relics maintained by Alexandria-Washington Lodge #22."

The model for the portrait was Telf Johnson, a silent movie star. More than 1500 of these copies were distributed by Congressmen to Masonic lodges throughout the United States and may be seen still today in many Masonic lodges.

 

I've seen others but have seen only one, on the internet, that was on canvas like mine. I enjoy the research on piece.