45 Star Antique American Parade Flag

13 Star American parade flag in an extremely rare design, with “protection to home industries” slogan on a fanciful, scrolling streamer, made for the 1888 presidential campaign of Benjamin Harrison; formerly in the collection of Richard pierce. 1888 Benjamin Harrison campaign flag, printed on cotton, with 13 large stars in a 3-2-3-2-3 pattern, upon which a whimsical, scrolling streamer is superimposed that features the slogan: “Protection to Home Industries.” There are numerous styles of both documented and undocumented, red, white, and blue bandanas and handkerchiefs, made for Harrison’s campaign in this year, as well as from the subsequent one, in 1892. Most bear variations of text to support the “Protection for American Industries” platform of the Republican Party. America was in the midst of the industrial age and there was a great deal of public interest, both in protecting growth and discouraging both imported goods and immigration. The constant stream of immigrants posed great challenges for a working families, competing for scarce jobs, in work environments that were already often far from ideal. In post-Civil War America, many of the working men were Civil War veterans. Bandanas abound from Harrison’s Campaigns, but flags do not. This example, along with three others, were once part of an 1888 patriotic quilt that was disassembled by a dealer and sold piecemeal to collectors. I eventually acquired all four. Fifteen to twenty years ago, these were the only four known copies. A couple of others have since surfaced, but the total count known still stands closer to 5 than 10. The use of 13 stars is seen in the flags of various candidates in the 19th century. Among these are Abraham Lincoln (1860 campaign), Henry Clay (1844 campaign), John Fremont (1856), and Benjamin Harrison’s grandfather, William Henry Harrison...

38 WHIMSICAL STARS, WITH 6-POINTED PROFILES, SIMILAR TO THE STAR OF DAVID, ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG OF THE CENTENNIAL ERA; A REMARKABLE SPECIMEN, ONE-OF-A-KIND AMONG KNOWN EXAMPLE...

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...

42 STARS ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH SCATTERED STAR POSITIONING, REFLECTS THE ADDITION OF WASHINGTON STATE, MONTANA, AND THE DAKOTAS, NEVER AN OFFICIAL STAR COUNT, circa 1889-18...

46 star antique American flag in an exceptionally small scale among its pieced-and-sewn counterparts, reflects oklahoma statehood, circa 1907-1912: 46 star American national flag in a tiny and very rare scale among its counterparts of the period with pieced-and-sewn construction. The 46th state, Oklahoma, joined the Union on November 16th, 1907, during Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency. Roosevelt had many friends in the Oklahoma Territory...

Antique American Flag With 36 Stars On A Cornflower Blue Canton, Civil War Era, 1864-1867, Reflects The Addition Of Nevada As The 36th State; A Great Folk Exaple With Haphazard Rows Of Starfish-like Stars: 36 star American national flag of the Civil War era with outstanding collector traits. Haphazard rows of fat, starfish-shaped stars fill most of the confines of a brilliant, cornflower blue canton. Note the crude piecing of the thirteen, red and white stripes, joined in an ill-planned manner that results in great variation in width, as well as general irregularity. The 4th red stripe actually falls slightly below the canton, and the height of each does not line up with the corresponding stripe on the reverse. This can clearly be seen at the fly end, which is is turned back and bound to repair obvious extended use in an outdoor environment. Clearly the maker lacked experience in seam work. Lining up the necessary components, so that they could be viewed on both sides, presented a challenge they may have not previously faced. This is also evident in the sewing of the stars, which do not line up on the obverse and reverse sides, as they typically would in a flag sewn by an experienced flag-maker. That said, this is just this kind of homemade charm that fuels interest in early American flags...

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 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 is a striking 38-star American flag. The flag dates to 1876-1890, when Colorado (represented by the large star in the center of the flag’s canton) joined the Union as the 38th s...

Monumental fifteen foot 42 star American flag, circa 1889-1890. The 42-star flag is rare because only a limited number of 42-star flags were produced after Washington became a state on Nov. 11, 1889. But it takes a more intimate knowledge of flag trivia to know just why it happened this way. White stars are added to the blue field of the star-spangled banner on the Fourth of July after a state is admitted to the union. In the fall of 1889, several western territories became states. Dakota was admitted, and then split into North and South Dakota, on Nov. 2, 1889, which made them state and star numbers 39 and 40. Montana was named the 41st state on Nov. 8, followed by Washington, on Nov. 11. Only a few flag manufacturers began producing 42-star flags before the official addition of the 42nd star on July 4, 1890. Those who tried to jump the gun by being the first to produce an up-to-date flag were surprised when Idaho was admitted to the United States on July 3...

This is an original 46-star American parade flag, printed on silk. Each star represents a state in the Union at the time. The official flag design would update every July 4th, to inc...