Forget--Me-Not pin issued postwar to honor German Freemasons
Extent and Medium
overall: | Depth: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm) | Diameter: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm)
Archival History
The pin was donated the the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2001 by Robin Fields, the daughter of Milton Fields.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Robin Fields
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Forget-me-not flower pin of the type issued at the Annual Convent of the United Grand Lodge of Germany, A.F. and A.M., in 1948. It was issued to honor those members of the order who carried on their traditions despite censorship by the Nazi regime in Germany. The German Grand Lodge in Bayreuth adopted the wearing of a blue forget-me-not flower in the lapel as an unobtrusive mark of Masonic membership around 1934. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, they prohibited gatherings of the organization and Freemasons had to meet and conduct their activities in secret.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Metal pin with pin back attachment and blue enamel decoration.
Subjects
- Germany--Politics and government--1933-1945.
- Freemasonry--Symbolism.
- National socialism.
- Freemasonry--Germany--History--20th century.
Genre
- Jewelry
- Object