38-Star Antique American Flag with Unique Canton, circa 1876-1890

This is an original 38-star American flag. The flag dates to 1876, when Colorado joined the Union as the 38th state. The flag is made of cotton, with a blue canton featuring thirty-e...

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...

Presented is a rare Centennial patriotic flag banner, dating to 1876. The flag’s rich blue canton is spectacular, with 81 five-pointed, rayed stars printed in white and arranged to r...

Presented is a 39-star American flag, dating to 1889 and celebrating North Dakota's statehood. This very large family flag was fully hand-cut and sewn, impressive in both its constr...

This is a rare 31-star medallion printed American flag, celebrating the addition of California to the Union. The flag is printed on silk and has a spectacular “Great Star” canton pat...

38 STARS IN A RARE CIRCLE-IN-A-SQUARE MEDALLION WITH A HUGE CENTER STAR, ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG MADE BY HORSTMANN BROS. IN PHILADELPHIA FOR THE 1876 CENTENNIAL INTERNATIONAL EXP...

38 Star Antique American Flag With An Off-balace Medallion Configuration On A Brilliant Blue Canton, Made In The Period When Colorado Was The Most Recent State To Join The Union, 1876-1889. 38 star American parade flag...

13 LARGE STARS WITH AN EVEN LARGER CENTER STAR, IN A CIRCULAR VERSION OF WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE 3RD MARYLAND PATTERN, ENTIRELY HAND-SEWN, MADE SOMETIME BETWEEN 1850 AND THE CIVIL WAR (...

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...

38 STARS IN A TRIPLE WREATH STYLE MEDALLION CONFIGURATION, WITH 2 OUTLIERS, ON A LARGE SCALE ANTIQUE AMERICAN PARADE FLAG WITH GREAT COLORS AND PRESENCE, MADE IN THE ERA WHEN COLORAD...

13 hand sewn stars in a circular version of what is known as the 3rd Maryland pattern, with an especially large center star, a flag with especially tiny scale among those with pieced-and-sewn construction, exceptionally rare, made circa 1890: 13 star flags have been flown throughout our nation’s history for a variety of purposes. They were hoisted at patriotic events, including Lafayette’s visit in 1824-25, the celebration of the centennial of American independence in 1876, and the sesquicentennial in 1926. They were displayed during the Civil War, to reference past struggles for American liberty and victory over oppression, and were used by 19th century politicians while campaigning for the same reason. As the number of stars grew with the addition of new states, it became more and more difficult to fit their full complement on a small flag. The stars would, by necessity, have to become smaller, which made it more and more difficult to view them from a distance as individual objects. The fear was that too many of them close together would become as one white mass and distort the ability to identify American ships on the open seas. Keeping the count low allowed for better visibility. For this reason the U.S. Navy flew 13 star flags on small boats. Some private ship owners mirrored this practice and flew 13 star flags during the same period as the Navy. Flag experts disagree about the precisely when the Navy began to revert to 13 stars and other low counts. Some feel that the use of 13 star flags never stopped, which seems to be supported by depictions of ships in period artwork. This was, of course, the original number of stars on the first American national flag, by way of the First Flag Act of 1777, and equal to the number of original colonies that became states. Any American flag that has previously been official remains so according to the flag acts, so it remains perfectly acceptable to fly 13 star flags today by way of congressional law. Since there was no official star configuration until the 20th century (1912 specifically, beginning with the 48 star count), the stars on 13 star flags may appear in any one of a host of configurations. Some of these are more rare and desirable than others. The stars of this particular flag are arranged in what has come to be known as the "3rd Maryland Pattern." This configuration, whether oval or circular, is appreciated both for its visual appeal and the scarcity of its use. a circular wreath of 12 with a single star in the center. The name comes from a flag that resides at the Maryland State Capitol in Annapolis, long thought to have been present with General Daniel Morgan at the Battle of Cowpens in 1781. According to legend, the flag was supposed to have been carried by Color Sergeant William Batchelor of the 3rd Maryland Light Infantry and was donated to the State of Maryland by Batchelor's descendants. The story was disproved in the 1970's, however, following an examination by the late flag expert Grace Rogers Cooper of the Smithsonian, who discovered that the Cowpens flag was, at the earliest, of Mexican War...

Antique American flag with 13 hand-sewn stars in an extremely rare lineal configuration of 5-3-5, probably made with the intent of use by local militia or private outfitting of a vol...

48 STARS ON ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH HAND-WRITTEN INSCRIPTIONS AND AN EMBROIDERED DATE OF APRIL 12TH, 1945, MOURNING THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT: American national parade flag with 48 stars, printed on cotton, embellished with hand-written inscriptions and an embroidered date to commemorate the death of FDR on April 12th, 1945. “On this day in 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage at his Warm Springs, Georgia, retreat at the age of 63. Roosevelt’s death in the final months of World War II was met with shock and grief throughout the Western world. Many Americans had no inkling of his decline in health. [He] had been president for more than 12 years, longer than any other person. He led the country through some of its greatest domestic and foreign crises to the impending defeat of Nazi Germany and within sight of Japan’s surrender...

29 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH A DOUBLE-WREATH STYLE MEDALLION CONFIGURATION, MEXICAN WAR ERA, 1846-48; REFLECTS THE ADDITION OF IOWA AS THE 29TH ST...

Nicely faded American flag quilt. Excellent hand stitched dancing Folk Art stars. Skilled quilting, a nice graphic large-scale wall hanging. Whi...

38 star antique American parade flag with scattered star orientation, made of silk, with generous scale and vivid colors, Colorado Statehood, 1876-1889 38 star American national p...

Entirely hand sewn, 38 Star, antique American flag of the Indian wars period, with a Squarish profile and a canton that is taller than it is wide, similar to U.S. infantry and artill...

38 Star antique American flag with a notched configuration, made by the U.S. bunting company in Lowell, Massachusetts, signed "Throckmorton," reflects the era of Colorado statehood, circa 1876-1889: Frame size (H x L): approx. 50" x 78" Flag size (H x L): 37.75" x 66" 38 Star American national flag, press-dyed on wool bunting. The stars are configured in what is known as a "notched" pattern, in which two spaces were left open in anticipation that more Western Territories would soon be added. 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 (numbers 39 and 40) on the same day, November 2nd, 1889. The flag is made of three panels of fabric that have been pieced and joined with hand-stitching. The fly end was bound by hand, and there is a twill cotton binding along the hoist, in the form of an open sleeve, also applied by hand-stitching. Near the top, on the obverse, the following text is stenciled in black: “AMERICAN ENSIGN. 5 - FT." “Ensign” is merely a term for a flag used aboard a ship. The flag was made by the U.S. Bunting Co., in Lowell, Massachusetts and was likely intended for nautical use. Versions of this stencil are seen on other known U.S. Bunting Co. examples, some of which include a April 26th, 1870 patent date. This protected owner, John...

13 star antique American parade flag, with a 3-2-3-2-3 configuration of stars, an extremely scarce and unusually large variety, made circa 1876-1899: 13 star American national parade flag, printed on cotton, made sometime during the last quarter of the 19th century. This is a very rare size for a parade flag in the 13 star count. The most common variety measures just 3 inches on the fly, and practically none reach over 10 inches. Before acquiring a small group in this large and unusual form, close to 20 years ago now, neither I, nor anyone else I knew in the world of flag collecting, had seen anything similar.* The group I acquired was discovered in Canada, and, given what I knew about 13 star parade flags, it was reasonable to assume that they were likely either produced there for the American market, or else made in the States for some Canadian-based event with U.S. involvement. Whatever the case may be, others in the same style have since been found north of the border, and Canadian manufacture would explain the scarcity. The stars are quite large in scale. Each is canted at a slight angle, such that one point is directed in the 1:00 position. These are arranged in staggered lineal rows in counts of 3-2-3-2-3, which is the most common configuration found in 13 star flags of the late 19th century, with pieced-and-sewn construction, but is highly unusual among printed parade flags. In most cases the 3-2-3-2-3 design can also be viewed as a diamond of stars, with a star in each corner and a star in the very center. It is of interest to note that the 3-2-3-2-3 pattern can also be interpreted as a combination of the crosses of St. Andrew and St. George, which some feel could have been the design of the very first American flag and may identify a link between this star configuration and the British Union Jack. The pattern is often attributed--albeit erroneously in my opinion--to New Jersey Senator Francis Hopkinson, a member of the Second Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence, who is credited with having played the most significant role in the original design of the American national flag. Hopkinson's original drawings for the design of the flag have not survived and his other depictions of 13 star arrangements for other devices are inconsistent. On this particular example, note the unusual coloration of the hoist area, adjacent to the canton, which is red instead of the typical white. This adds a distinctly unusual feature to the flag's visual presentation and is a nice compliment to the field of large, canted stars. The presence of so much white fabric beyond the last red stripe is also not typical of parade flag production. This was done so that there would be room for error when trimming between one flag and the next. Parade flags were printed on a bolt of fabric, like other printed textiles, and were clipped from the bolt at the point of sale, or perhaps afterwards, if the buyer bought multiple flags. When printed horizontally across the bolt, or when small flags were printed next to one-another vertically in multiples, Most parade flags had only a tiny amount of space between them, and some print runs allowed no space at all. It is extremely unusual to encounter flag printed perpendicular to the bolt, with selvage (finished, woven edges) along the hoist and fly, that have enough white fabric beneath and above them to actually look as if the maker intended American flags to have 14 stripes.** 13 star flags have been flown throughout our nation’s history for a variety of purposes. They were hoisted at patriotic events, including Lafayette’s visit in 1824-25, the celebration of the nation’s centennial in 1876, and the sesquicentennial in 1926. They were displayed during the Civil War, to reference past struggles for American liberty and victory over oppression, and were used by 19th century politicians in political campaigning for the same reason. The U.S. Navy used the 13 star count on small boats until 1916, because it was easier to discern fewer stars at a distance on a small flag. Commercial flag-makers mirrored this practice and some private ships flew 13 star flags during the same period as the Navy. The use of yachting ensigns with a wreath of 13 stars surrounding a fouled anchor, which allowed pleasure boats to bypass customs between 1848 and 1980, persists today without an official purpose. Mounting: The flag was mounted and framed within our own conservation department, which is led by expert staff. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and have framed thousands of examples. The background fabric is 100% cotton twill, black in color, that has been washed and treated for colorfastness. The extraordinary, 3-part molding is constructed of wood, but has a finish that presents like antique...

38 STARS IN A TRIPLE WREATH STYLE MEDALLION CONFIGURATION, WITH 2 OUTLIERS, ON A LARGE SCALE ANTIQUE AMERICAN PARADE FLAG WITH GREAT COLORS AND PRESENCE, MADE IN THE ERA WHEN COLORAD...

38 HAND-SEWN STARS IN A "NOTCHED" PATTERN, ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH BEAUTIFUL WEAR FROM HAVING BEEN EXTENSIVELY FLOWN, MADE AT THE TIME WHEN COLORADO WAS THE MOST RECENT STATE TO JOIN THE UNION, 1876-1889 38 star Antique American flag, made during the period when Colorado was the most recent state to join the Union. The stars are arranged in what is known as a "notched" pattern, in which two spaces were left open along the hoist end, in the first and last rows, in anticipation that two more Western Territories would soon join the Union. The latter 19th century was a time of when much of the land in and about the Continental Divide was formalized into states, and there was continual speculation about which ones would be accepted next, and with what boundaries. The stars of the flag are made of cotton and are double-appliquéd (applied to both sides) with a lineal, treadle stitch. The canton and stripes of the flag are made of wool bunting that has been pieced with treadle stitching. The canton was constructed from five separate lengths of fabric, which is an unusual feature, though hardly unknown. To each of these a row of stars was sewn. This manner of construction is sometimes encountered and tends to be an early trait, at least when it occurs in flags of this scale and smaller. When encountered, it also seems to have been preferred in flags meant for maritime use. While the feature does not by any means guarantee this fact, it is a reasonable, educated guess, based upon my examination of many other examples. A flag with a 5-piece canton, such as this, would have been less likelihood to stretch, with increased structural integrity. The alternative is that this was simply an example made when there were at least five pieces of leftover fabric, of a reasonable size to made individual rows, and that what it actually demonstrates is the careful conservation of scarce resources. There is a sailcloth canvas binding along the hoist, with 3 brass grommets, evenly spaced. Perhaps the best feature of the flag is the evidence it displays of having been extensively flown, with the fly end whipped out from wind exposure. While many flags display damage from a combination of having been flown, exposure to the elements, various mishaps, and improper storage, very few exhibit wear such as this, which is both endearingly and visually attractive. This one shows its age beautifully, whipped out along the fly end, with losses that convey an element of movement, that most flags don’t capture in the state in which they survive. 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...