Club Wear

Supportive fraternal organizations such as the Freemasons and the Protestant Orange Order attracted many Canadian men. During meetings, they wore ceremonial clothing, which helped to create the aura of a secret society, and to reaffirm their organizational identity and status.

Photograph of John Milton Shaw in his Freemason regalia

Photograph of John Milton Shaw in his Freemason regalia ca. 1900, Photo © CMH

The most distinctive ceremonial garment of the Freemasons was the apron, which was based on the apron worn by medieval stonemasons as a functional garment. Distinctions of rank, as seen in the blue ribbon and rosettes, were of symbolic and ritual importance. John Milton Shaw, a Freemason living in Regina, Saskatchewan, wore other important forms of regalia, including a cane and cufflinks, which incorporated engravings of traditional Masonic symbols such as the compass and square.

The Orange Order in Canada had its own ceremonial garments, such as the ceremonial collar worn by the first Grand Master of Upper Canada, Ogle Gowan. The collar is richly embroidered with metallic thread, the height of Victorian aesthetic. The choice of symbols – thistle, shamrock, rose and maple leaf – likely alludes to a line from the patriotic song, “The Maple Leaf Forever,” a favourite marching song for the Orangemen.

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