An Auspicious Day, 2005. Peter Waddell (b. 1955), Washington, D.C.. Photo © 2005 Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington, D.C. All rights reserved December 19, 2009–January 9, 2011

Building the Temple Within, 2005. Peter Waddell (b. 1955), Washington, D.C.. Photo © 2005 Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington, D.C. All rights reserved











Centerpiece of the New Republic, 2005. Peter Waddell (b. 1955), Washington, D.C.. Photo © 2005 Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington, D.C. All rights reserved

The city plan of Washington, D.C.—with its radiating avenues and circles overlaying a grid pattern of right angled streets—presents daily challenges to visitors and residents alike as they navigate between the monuments and buildings that symbolize our national capital. But the circles, squares, angles, and architecture in the Federal city hold a far deeper symbolism for the Freemasons from the time of George Washington to the present day. “The Initiated Eye: Secrets, Symbols, Freemasonry and the Architecture of Washington, D.C.,” on view at the National Heritage Museum from December 19, 2009 through January 9, 2011, is a fascinating exhibition that explores the Masonic ideals and symbols made manifest in our nation’s capital city.
“The Initiated Eye” presents 21 extraordinary oil paintings by artist Peter Waddell based on the architecture of Washington, D.C., and the role that our founding fathers and prominent citizens—many of whom were Freemasons—played in establishing the layout, design and construction of the city. Through the paintings on view, the exhibition portrays an unprecedented view into the world of Freemasonry, and through historical events, activities, ceremonies, and special gatherings carefully explains and demystifies Freemasonry for the public. The paintings often depict objects associated with Freemasonry that were carefully selected from local lodges to provide a context and richness to illustrate the many historical collections related to our nation’s heritage held in trust by the Freemasons. Waddell created the paintings through extensive research, and in collaboration with a Masonic advisory committee. Fans of the recent Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol, will recognize in the paintings a number of the places and events depicted in the novel, including the House of the Temple, the cornerstone laying at the Capitol, the Smithsonian Institution, the Shrine Temple, the Franklin School, and the Washington Monument. Approximately 40 Masonic artifacts from the National Heritage Museum collection further enrich the exhibition.

Congress designated the location of the new nation’s capital in 1791.  Soon after, Major Pierre L’Enfant (1754-1825) designed the layout of the ten-mile-square district in consultation with George Washington (1732-1799) and Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826).  He used geometry as a central principle in planning Washington, D.C., employing radial boulevards that link major monuments and public buildings, while also manifesting the principles of Enlightenment—and perhaps Masonic—thinking. 

Freemasonry, a fraternal organization for men, teaches a system of ethics using symbols, rituals and ideas drawn from stonemasons’ regulations, Enlightenment philosophy and Judeo-Christian teachings.  The fraternity flourished as Washington, D.C., began to expand.  During the late 1700s, three lodges labored within the Federal District; by 1811 these three lodges, along with two new ones, organized the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. 

Over the next two centuries, the city and the fraternity grew together. Eighteenth-century philosophers established a new idealism based upon the dignity and rights of the common man, which influenced Freemasonry and the values of the new nation.  The 1800s brought expansion, growth and new levels of prosperity that nurtured the spread of the ideas underpinning both the city and the Craft.  The 1900s saw maturation and reinterpretation of the vision that had given shape and purpose to Washington, D.C., and its Freemasons.  Now, having touched four centuries of history and development in our nation’s capital, Freemasonry has made an indelible impact.

The paintings in “The Initiated Eye” are the work of Peter Waddell, and were commissioned by, and are the property of, the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington, D.C., with all rights reserved. This exhibition is supported by the Scottish Rite Masons of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A.