Illustrators Walter B. Tripp and Warren A. Newcombe
In 1915, the Supreme Council of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction formally hired Boston illustrator Walter Tripp (1868-1926) to design new costumes for different degrees. Thirty-two of his designs are exhibited here. Tripp, a member of Mount Lebanon Lodge and a 33° Scottish Rite Mason, worked at Boston’s Emerson College as a drama professor. He collaborated with set designer, illustrator, and fellow Freemason, Warren A. Newcombe (1894-1960) on the project. Newcombe's name is printed on sixteen of the 119 designs commissioned by the Scottish Rite. Newcombe joined Star of Bethlehem lodge in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in 1915. From 1925 to 1957, he worked as a set designer for 175 Hollywood films including Easter Parade, An American in Paris, and Singin' in the Rain. He was also Director of Set Painting for The Wizard of Oz.