36 Star Flag In A Very Odd Lineal Configuration

38 STARS IN A MEDALLION CONFIGURATION WITH 2 OUTLIERS, ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH VIBRANT COLORATION, REFLECTS COLORADO STATEHOOD, 1876-1889, ILLUSTRATED IN “THE STARS & STRIPES: FABRIC OF THE AMERICAN SPIRIT” by RICHARD PIERCE, 2005 38 star American parade flag, printed on coarse, glazed cotton. The stars are arranged in a triple-wreath form of the medallion configuration, with a single center star and two stars flanking outside the basic pattern, toward the fly end. Most circular medallion patterns of this sort exhibit four flanking stars beyond the consecutive wreaths, one in each corner. The inclusion of only two was intentional, allowing for the easy addition of two more stars. Flag-makers knew that more Western Territories were soon to be added and eagerly anticipated their arrival. Use of fewer than four outliers was popular in 38 star parade flags, but is rarely encountered in other star counts. Note how the vibrant, chromatic luster of the orange stripes provides striking contrast with the blue canton, and how this contributes to the flag's beautiful presentation. Many parade flags in this star count have red stripes that lean heavily toward orange. This was common across printed flags produced between the 1850's and the 38 star period, phasing out in the last decade of the 19th century. Colorado became the 38th state on August 1st, 1876. This was the year of our nation’s 100-year anniversary of independence. Per the Third Flag Act of 1818, stars were not officially added until the 4th of July following a state's addition. For this reason, 37 was the official star count for the American flag in 1876. Flag-making was a competitive venture, however, and few flag-makers would have been continuing to produce 37 star flags when their competitors were making 38’s. It is for this reason that 38 and 13 stars (to represent the original 13 colonies) are more often seen at the Centennial International Exposition, the six-month long World’s Fair held in Philadelphia in honor of the event. Some flag-makers would have been adding a star for the 38th state even before it entered the Union, in the early part of 1876 or even prior. In fact, many makers of parade flags were actually producing 39 star flags, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of two more Western Territories instead of one. But the 39th state would not join the Union for another 13 years, when the Dakota Territory entered as two states on the same day. The 38 star flag generally fell from use at that time, though it technically remained official until July 3rd, 1890. President Ulysses S. Grant was in office when the first 38 star flags would have appeared. The list of presidents serving during the period when the 38 star flag was actually official, include Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield...

36 STARS IN THE "GREAT STAR" OR "GREAT LUMINARY" PATTERN, ON A MERINO WOOL FLAG OF THE CIVIL WAR ERA WITH BEAUTIFUL SCARLET AND ROYAL BLUE COLOR AND WITH ITS CANTON RESTING ON THE "WAR STRIPE," REFLECTS NEVADA STATEHOOD, 1864-67 36 star antique American flag of the Civil War era, with some rare, desirable, and beautiful features. The most obvious of these is the configuration of the stars. These are arranged in what is known as the “Great Star” or "Great Luminary" pattern, a star made out of stars, which is one of the most graphic and desired geometric designs among flag enthusiasts. Nevada entered the Union as the 36th state on October 31st, Halloween, in 1864. Ushered in by Abraham Lincoln just eight days before the presidential election that resulted in his second term, the territory’s wealth in silver was attractive to a nation struggling with the debts of war and so increased support for the Republican ticket. The 36th star was officially added on July 4th, 1865, but since the flag makers generally cared very little about official star counts, the production of 36 star flags began much earlier. The makers of printed flags are known to have begun adding the 36th star as early as July of 1864, several months before the addition of Nevada actually occurred. This was a common practice during the late 19th century and is reflective of both the nation's desire for Westward Expansion and the hope of flag-makers to bring new star counts to market before their competitors. The 36 star flag was officially replaced by the 37 star flag in 1867, following the addition of Nebraska. Great Stars come in many forms. This particular example has a single center star, surrounded by a pentagon of 5 stars, set inside its star-shaped perimeter. Note how the Great Star is positioned with two points up instead of one and so is effectively upside-down with respect to modern convention. Unlike the current flag, versions of the Stars & Stripes made during the 19th century and prior often displayed stars that were varied or completely random in their rotation on a vertical axis. Note how the feature draws attention and is unusual to the eye, in addition to being visually appealing. Another interesting trait can be seen in the fact that the canton rests on a red stripe. When this scarce condition occurs, some flag historians have referred to it as the “blood stripe” or the “war stripe”, suggesting the flag was constructed in this manner when the nation was at war. In actuality, the placement probably occurred more often by accident. Not everyone knew where the canton was traditionally positioned, and because there was no official specification until 1912, there was no official placement. Whatever the case may be with regarding the reason, the war stripe feature is highly coveted by collectors. The stars of the flag are hand-sewn, made of cotton, and are double-appliquéd (applied to both sides). The canton and stripes of the flag are made of fine merino wool. These are beautiful, luxurious fabrics with strong royal blue and scarlet color. Every seam was joined with a row of hand-stitching, then finished with a row of treadle stitching. Instead of employing the selvage edge of the red fabric, the top and bottom edges of the flag were turned under and seamed by hand and the fly end was seamed in the same fashion. There is a narrow binding along the hoist, treadle-sewn and made of cotton. Along this five cotton tabs were affixed, each with a tiny brass ring, which suggests that the flag was probably affixed to a wooden staff with twine or ribbon and hand-carried. The name of "Stow" is inscribed along the hoist. This would be the name of a former owner. In the field of early American flags...

41 STARS IN A LINEAL PATTERN WITH OFFSET STARS THAT CREATE A CROSSHATCH IN THE CORNERS AND CENTER, ONE OF THE RAREST STAR COUNTS AMONG SURVIVING FLAGS OF THE 19TH CENTURY, REFLECTS MONTANA STATEHOOD IN NOVEMBER, 1889, ACCURATE FOR JUST 3 DAYS: Numerous flags appeared with unofficial star counts in early America, produced by flag-makers in anticipation of the addition of more states. The 41 star flag...

36 Stars In The "Great Star" Or "Great Luminary" Pattern On A Civil War Era Flag With A Dusty Blue Canton And A Section Of One Stripe Souvenired, 1864-67, Nevada Statehood 36 star American national flag of the Civil War era, entirely hand-sewn and with some rare and beautiful features. The stars are arranged in a rendition of what is known as the Great Star or Great Luminary configuration, a large star made out of smaller stars. With no official star pattern before 1912, their design was left up to the artistic liberties of the flag-maker. Strikingly visual, the Great Star is both scarce and coveted by collectors. The 36th state, Nevada, entered the Union during the Civil War on October 31st, 1864. The last Confederate general surrendered on May 26th, 1865. The 36 star flag became official on July 4th of that year, but makers of printed flags would have begun adding a 36th star to their flags in 1864, even before the addition of the new state occurred. Lincoln pushed Nevada through just 8 days before the November election. Nevada’s wealth in silver was attractive to a nation struggling with the debts of war and increased support for the Republican ticket. The 36 star flag was replaced by the 37 star flag in 1867, with the addition of Nebraska. Adding to the flag's appeal is its small scale across those with of piece-and-sewn construction. During the 19th century, sewn flags (as opposed to those that were printed on cloth) were typically eight feet long and larger. This is because they were important in their function as signals, meaning that they needed to be seen and recognized from great distance. A flag that was six feet in length was considered small and production of flags smaller than this was extremely limited. Even infantry battle flags were approximately six by six and-one-half feet, about the size of an average quilt of the same period. As time passed, circumstances changed and sewn flags began to find more of a decorative purpose. Smaller flags are more scarce and far easier to frame and display. The Great Star configuration appears to have come about shortly after the War of 1812, when Congressman Peter Wendover of New York requested that Captain Samuel Reid, a War of 1812 naval hero, create a new design that would become the third official format of the Stars & Stripes. A recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Reid became harbor master of New York following the war. During his lifetime, he created many innovations in signal use, including a system that could actually send messages from New York to New Orleans by sea in just two hours. Use as a Naval signal had been the primary reason for the initial creation of an American national flag in 1777, but since there was no official star design, the appearance of our flag varied greatly. Reid’s primary concern centered on both consistency and ease of recognition. His hope was as more and more states joined the Union and more and more stars were added to the flag, that it would remain easily identified on the open seas. In 1818, Reid suggested to Congress that the number of stripes permanently return to 13 (reduced from 15) and that the stars be grouped into the shape of one large star. Reid’s proposal would have kept the star constellation in roughly the same format, in a pattern that could be quickly identified through a spyglass as the number of states grew. His concept for the stripes was ultimately accepted, but his advice on the star pattern was rejected by President James Monroe, due to the increased cost of arranging the stars in what would become known as the “Great Star”, “Great Flower”, or “Great Luminary” pattern. Monroe probably didn’t wish to impose this cost on either the government or civilians, so he suggested a simple pattern of justified rows. Never-the-less, the Great Star was produced by anyone willing to make it and its rarity today, along with its beauty, has driven the desirability of American flags with this configuration. The canton and stripes of the flag are made of fine merino wool. Note how the canton has faded to a dusty seafoam blue, which is endearingly attractive. The stars of the flag are hand-sewn and single-appliquéd. This means that they were applied to one side of the canton, then the blue fabric was cut from behind each star, folded over, and under-hemmed, so that one star could be viewed on both sides of the flag. I always find single-appliquéd stars more interesting, not only because they are evidence of a more difficult level of seam-work and stitching, but also because they are more visually intriguing. The two visible rows of hand-stitching emphasize their hand-sewn construction, which is one reason why flags with single-appliquéd stars often appeal to connoisseurs of early American textiles...

36 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN PARADE FLAG WITH CANTED STARS IN DANCING ROWS, ON A BEAUTIFUL, CORNFLOWER BLUE CANTON; CIVIL WAR ERA, NEVADA STATEHOOD, 1864-1867 36 star antique American f...

36 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN PARADE FLAG WITH CANTED STARS IN DANCING ROWS, ON A BEAUTIFUL, CORNFLOWER BLUE CANTON; CIVIL WAR ERA, NEVADA STATEHOOD, 1864-1867 36 star antique American f...

This is an original 46-Star American parade flag, celebrating Oklahoma statehood. Each star on the flag's canton represents a state in the Union at the time. The official flag design would update every July 4th, to include any new states added to the Union in the past year. Oklahoma, the 46th state, entered the Union on November 16, 1907. As such, this 46–star flag was the official flag of the United States from July 4, 1908, until July 4, 1912. The silk flag has a dark blue canton with 46 white printed stars. The stars are printed in an 7-8-8-8-8-7 row configuration, or “Drum design.” The flag design is completed with 13 alternating red and white stripes, each stripe representing one of the original thirteen colonies. The land that comprises Oklahoma today was added to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Throughout the 19th century, the U.S. government relocated Indian tribes from the southeastern United States to the area, and by 1900, over 30 Indian tribes had been moved to what was originally called the Indian Territories. At the same time, ranchers in Texas began to move into the area in search of new pasture lands. Although stipulations in the Indian Relocation Act agreed that the land would forever be Indian Territory, the promise of fertile farmland trumped the government’s promise of sovereignty. On April 22, 1889, they opened the land to settlement by homesteaders, creating a land run in which settlers, called “Boomers,” were allowed to cross the Texas or Arkansas border at a particular hour to claim homesteads. Settlers who illegally crossed the border earlier to stake prime land were called “sooners,” which eventually became the state’s nickname. Wagons and the Santa Fe railroad carried cartloads of men and women to blank town sites and building plots, creating ten thousand-people communities in a matter of days. The following year, the region was further divided into Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory...

This 36-star flag has stars arranged in a gorgeous and highly desirable medallion pattern. This particular medallion includes a large haloed star in the middle, two rings of stars s...

This monumental 48 star flag pillow is in great in great condition and has a red cotton linen pillow. The big pillow id down and feather fill.

This is a 39-star unofficial American flag, handmade and printed on cotton. The flag dates to 1889 and has a unique history, thanks to its rare star-count. The flag’s canton is prin...

The stars of this extremely rare, Civil War-era flag are arranged in what is sometimes called the "Great Flower" pattern, a large star made out of smaller stars -- named as such beca...

This fine hand crochet 48 star flag pillow is made with a blue velvet background or frame front and back.The insert is down & feather fill.