File:Sons of Herman Lodge members posing in studio, Seattle, circa 1904 (MOHAI 13226).jpg

The Order of the Sons of Herman (also Sons of Hermann or Hermann's Sohne) is a fraternal organization begun by German immigrants in New York City during the 1840s. The order promotes the love of German language and preservation of German traditions and customs, and was named for historical hero Hermann the "Cherusker," who united the German tribes against Roman invaders. Washington State's first Order of the Sons of Herman lodge was organized in Tacoma in 1889; Seattle's lodge was founded in 1890, and within five years lodges had been formed in Bellingham, Everett, Spokane, Uniontown, Walla Walla, and Chehalis. This portrait shows the members of the German Sons of Herman, Seattle lodge. Most of the men are unidentified, but among them is Henry Schutte or Schutte (1852-1904), who immigrated to the U.S. in 1870 and worked as a cook at Seattle's Rathskeller restaurant. By the 1990s most of the Washington State lodges had ceased to exist, however, as of 2019, the Tacoma lodge remains active.

Handwritten on verso: Sons of Herman, 1902-1905? Last row, far right, Henry Schutte, d. 1905 Caption information source: "Hermann's Lodge Tacoma", German Heritage Society, http://germanheritagesociety.org/Hermann.html Caption information source: "Drops Dead on Street," The Seattle Daily Times, July 4, 1905, p.13; and "Deaths and Funerals," The Seattle Daily Times, July 5, 1905, p.4.

• Subjects (LCTGM): Fraternal organizations--Washington (State)--Seattle; Group portraits; Sashes (Clothing)