1930s Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

This small trunk bears witness to an important part of Italian history. A handwritten cartil certifies its belonging to an Italian senator and foreign minister Giovanni Battista Beverini born 10 July 1872 and died 28 November 1944. Beverini was an Italian diplomat and politician. He was appointed senator of the Kingdom of Italy in 1933. His career as a foreign diplomat for the Italian State led him to travel a lot for work and this small trunk accompanied him on his travels. Some labels on the trunk certify his voyages, and of particular curiosity the label of the ship "Virgilio". This transatlantic ship was inaugurated on April 24, 1928 in the following years it made several trips for the transport of goods and passengers along routes: departing from Genoa to the Pacific coasts of America. From 1932 he served scheduled service from Genoa Italy - Valparaiso Chile...

Presented is a George Washington Bicentennial parade flag from 1932. The flag is printed with blue, white, and red stripes, with a prominent bust portrait of George Washington at cen...

Presented is a George Washington Bicentennial parade flag from 1932. The flag is printed with gold, white, and blue stripes, with a prominent bust portrait of George Washington at center. The words “Washington Bicentennial” and the dates “1732-1932" are printed in blue above and below the portrait. The flag is attached to its original stick, with a painted gold finial at top. This flag would have been used during a parade or similarly festive event celebrating the 200 year anniversary of George Washington’s birth. The bicentennial of Washington’s birth in February, 1932, was an occasion celebrated throughout the United States. In anticipation of the two hundred year anniversary, President Coolidge established the official George Washington Bicentennial Commission in December of 1924. Throughout the next seven years, the Commission organized numerous projects, programs and celebrations to commemorate the historic date, and encouraged communities and civic organizations throughout the United States to do so as well. The holiday was an “opportunity to reacquaint Americans with their country’s aspirations and principles of government, separate the man from the myth with educational materials about his life and accomplishments, inspire patriotism and have some fun” (Baskin). The excitement by which Americans lauded Washington was evident in the sheer scale of the celebration. Records indicate that there were “4,760,345 individual bicentennial programs held by churches, schools, civic bodies, fraternal orders and more” (Baskin). Although the celebrations took place during the Great Depression, lavish and elaborate events were still planned. Grand parades and birthday balls were held across the country, many of which played colonial music and required dress in historic costume. There were also numerous educational components to the nine-month-long celebration. Theaters throughout the country showed an informative film, “Washington: The Man and the Capitol,” to educate Americans about the first president’s leadership. Students studied materials provided by the “Education Division” of the Bicentennial Commission, which were distributed nationwide to schools for free. The literature’s aim was to educate, as well as debunk overly flattering myths about the president. The Commission presented Washington not only as a great leader but also as a fallible man, persevering through moments of self-doubt and uncertainty. As expected, the nation was swept up in a surge of patriotism and “George Washington fever,” which inspired printers, publishers, and manufacturers to produce as much Washington-related material as possible. New biographies exploring all aspects of Washington’s life were published. Inexpensive engravings and lithographs depicting George Washington were printed and sold to the public. And small printed flags and hand-held fans were made to wave during public parades and celebrations. Condition: Very good condition. Printed flag. Flag is hemmed with a white thread, in a running stitch. Flag attached to stick with two nails. Light discoloration of fabric at nail heads. Original gold finial at top of stick. Dimensions: 4" H x 5 1/2" W (flag), 12 1/2" H (stick). Presented mounted to a dark navy archival fabric. Flag’s stick...

A wonderful and rare eight-foot-tall fabric banner celebrating the 1937 inaugural grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. Top panel with “Welcome Visitors / Golden Gate Bridge ..1937..” and an illustration of the bridge in royal blue on a butter yellow ground that calls to mind a classic Golden State Warriors...

Unusual hand carved wooden arm, flag holder with flag, wall mounted, beautifully hand carved, sculptural mans arm / hand, Salvaged from Veterans Lodge outs...

A rare relief carved and pigmented wooden storyboard panel detailing events of the late 19th and early 20th century related to South Africa’s Zulu history and the Boer Wars. Atop this folk art panel, dated 1937, is a depiction of two heroes of the Transvaal, Paul Kruger...

Presented is a signed lithographic poster entitled “The Signing” by Howard Chandler Christy. “The Signing” is an allegorical rendering of the signing of the Constitution of the United States and our nation’s history and progress in the 150 years since the signing. Howard Chandler Christy signed and inscribed the poster in the bottom right corner. In 1936, representative Sol Bloom, the director general of the United States Constitution Sesquicentennial Commission, proposed that a painting be commissioned as part of the 150th anniversary of the Constitution. Howard Chandler Christy created three iterations of paintings for the Sesquicentennial Commission. Christy painted the first painting, “We the People,” in 1936. A year later, Christy painted a second painting titled “The Signing.” After two more years of congressional debate, Christy was finally commissioned in 1939 to create his final painting, a 20-by-30-foot framed oil-on-canvas scene of the signing, currently on display in the east grand stairway of the House wing of the U.S. Capitol. The 1937 painting was issued as a commemorative lithographic poster by the United States Constitutional Sesquicentennial Commission, as presented here. The poster and the original 7’ x 5’ oil canvas were first exhibited in December 1937 at the Grand Central Fifth Avenue Galleries. At the exhibit opening Christy explained, “I wanted the painting to be accurate in every detail because I feel deeply the meaning the Constitution holds for every American.” A 1937 order form listing items that could be purchased for the upcoming Sesquicentennial indicates that this particular “Official Poster” came in three different sizes- Small 12” x 14-1/2”, Medium 24” x 27”, and Large 42” x 38” and originally sold via mail order for 5¢, 10¢ & 25¢ cents respectively. “The Signing” is an artistic representation of the signing of the Constitution of the United States with strong allegorical references to core American values and renderings of our 150 year history since its inception. The bottom two thirds of the image depict the signing of the Constitution at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. George Washington is the most prominent figure; he stands on the platform next to Richard Spaight of North Carolina, who is signing the document. Benjamin Franklin is seated at center, with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison nearby. The other delegates populate the room, depicted in stirring conversation with each other. The top of the composition is filled with allegorical renderings. At center is a shining Lady Liberty standing with open arms and a golden scroll of “We the People” unfurling below her. At right, is a female personification of Blind Justice...

This vintage celebratory banner reads, “GOD SAVE THE KING” in bold white and split red and blue letters, set against a red, white, and blue striped f...

This is a printed silk handkerchief from the interwar period, with an Italian aviation theme. This handkerchief features four early aircraft plane models, two of which are seaplanes. The inner field of the handkerchief is pale blue and contained by a black three-line waving border. The outer field is medium blue, with a darker blue at each corner. A white and black fasces rests in each corner. The center of the silk features a golden spread-wing eagle. Above the eagle’s head floats a gold crown. The eagle’s talons grip a shield printed with the Savoy arms, a white cross on a red field. Two gold fasces adorn either side of the shield. In most historical accounts of the early days of military aviation, our reverence for the activities of the American Expeditionary Force and its French and British companions-in-arms on the western front has led us to overlook the immense Italian contribution to the formation of airpower doctrine. The first aerial force projection occurred on Nov. 1, 1911, when Lt. Giulio Gravotta, flying a German-built monoplane, dropped one bomb on Zard and another on Taciura -- in Libya -- during the Italian-Turkish War. This event occurred just a little more than a year after the first flight of an Italian-designed and built aircraft. At about the same time, Gianni Caproni, a young Italian engineer with a passion for innovation and a vast admiration for the Wright brothers, built his first flying machine. By May 23, 1915, the day Italy entered World War I, Caproni had become Italy's leading aircraft designer and manufacturer. Caprooni designed and built a multi-engine bomber with range and bomb capacities to make it a potent offensive weapon. On Aug. 20, 1915, two of these Caproni three-engine bombers attacked the Aisovizza aerodrome with explosive and incendiary bombs, a preview of the most sustained, effective air offensive of the First World War. By early 1916, regular raids against Austro-Hungarian targets were being conducted by seven squadrons of Caproni bombers, with some 540 bombing missions flown by the year's end. Missions were on the increase, both in distance to targets and number of aircraft involved. In late 1917, due to the lack of suitable training facilities in the United States, a contingent of some 500 Americans were sent to Foggia, Italy, to learn military flying. After completing their training, the new pilots were commissioned in the Army Air Service, and the majority of them were sent to France to serve with the American Expeditionary Force. About 75 remained in Italy under the command of Capt. Fiorello LaGuardia...

1937 King George VI Coronation framed flag This is a vintage and original flag made for the coronation, Street Parties And Celebrations In 1937...

KING GEORGE VI CORONATION FRAMED FLAG 1937 This is a vintage and original flag made for the coronation, Street Parties And Celebrations In 1937 ...

This is vintage Texas state flag, produced by Annin Flag Company in the 1930s. The flag is sewn and measures 3 ft x 5 ft. Texas passed its Flag Act in 1933, describing the exact sp...