Design for the Ancient Order of Foresters: "Unity, Benevolence and Concord"

Anonymous, British, 19th century

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The man standing at the center of this drawing wears the uniform of the Ancient Order of Foresters, a British Friendly Society, or charitable organization established by 1790 in Yorkshire, which expanded over the next century into multiple chapters with over 700,000 members. Supporting elements in the design include a lion nuzzling a lamb, a woman with a shield, a cornucopia and beehive--symbols of peace, strength and productivity. The latin motto, "Unitas benevolentia et concordia," translates as unity, benevolence and concord, and the image likely was intended as the engraved frontispiece of a society publication.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art