Member badge for IBPOEW Lodge 85: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

I.B.P.O.E. of W. member badge consisting of a gold metal medallion pin (a) attached to black and purple ribbons (b). At the top is a gold metal bar with a pin-back. The front of the bar features a decorative motif and creates a frame for the word [MEMBER], in black against an ivory background. A round medallion hangs from the bar on two metal chains. The medallion features a raised design around the circumference. On a raised platform at the center is an image of a clock with an elk in the middle. The gold and brown image is set against an ivory background. The bar is attached to two pieces of ribbon, black in front and purple in back, that are sewn together at the top and bottom to form a single piece. Silver text on the bottom half of the black ribbon reads [COLUMBIA / No. 85 / I.B.P.O.E. of the W. / WASHINGTON, D. C.]. Dark gold fringe decorates the bottom of the ribbons.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1940s
• Created by: Unidentified
• Issued by: Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks of the World, American, founded 1898
• Type: badges
• Medium: metal with plastic, ribbon, and cord
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 8 × 3 × 1/2 in. (20.3 × 7.6 × 1.3 cm)
• Place depicted: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Associations and institutions
• Topic: Communities
• Topic: Fraternal organizations
• Topic: Local and regional
• Topic: Men
• Object number: 2013.46.17.5ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.