48 Star U.S Navy Jack Flown on the USS FT. Mandan, ca 1945

48 star, crocheted, antique american flag of the wwii era (1941-1945), a beautiful, homemade example, with a red, white, & blue hoist and flower-like stars: Crocheted American fla...

48 STARFISH-LIKE, NEEDLEWORK EXECUTED STARS ON A HAND-CROCHETED ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG FROM THE EARLIEST PART OF THE 48 STAR ERA, 1912-WWI (U.S. INVOLVEMENT 1917-18) OR EVEN PRIOR TO ...

13 star antique American flag in the Betsy Ross pattern, one of just three examples that I have encountered that pre-date the 1890’s; an extraordinary find, civil war period (1861-1865) or just after, extremely large among its counterparts of all periods in this design: Exceptional, early, American national flag, with 13 stars arranged in the circular wreath pattern most often attributed to Betsy Ross. Since there was no official configuration for the stars of the American flag until 1912, when our nation received its 47th and 48th states, the design, before that time, was left to the whims of the maker. This led to an almost unimaginable spectrum of star arrangements on the American flag during the 18th and 19th centuries. Even within the 13 star count, alone, there are at least 80 known patterns—more than the average person would even think possible. 13 star flags have been made throughout American history, from at least June 14th, 1777, when the first Flag Act was passed by Congress, until the present. They have been continuously produced for reasons both patriotic and utilitarian. Because this was the original number of stars on the American flag, representing the 13 colonies, it was appropriate for any device made in conjunction with celebrations or notions of American independence. 13 star flags were thus displayed at patriotic events, including, but certainly not limited to, such occasions as Lafayette’s final visit, in 1825-26, the nation’s centennial in 1876, and longstanding celebrations of Independence Day. From at least 1840 onward, 13 star flags were produced for presidential campaigns, drawing a parallel between the past and present struggles for freedom, and were carried by soldiers, during the Mexican and Civil Wars, for the same purpose. Throughout history, and even today, they are boldly displayed at every presidential inauguration. 13 star flags were flown by American ships both private and federal. The U.S. Navy used 13 stars on the ensigns made for small boats, because they wished the stars to be more easily discernable at a distance. Private ships often copied Navy practice, and when commercial flag makers first began to produce flags with pieced-and-sewn construction, in small sizes, in large quantity, they frequently employed the 13 star count. Flags in the Betsy Ross design are widely admired, due to the longstanding popularity of the Ross family myth. While many Americans learned in grammar school that Betsy Ross made and designed our first flag, and that the stars appeared in a circular fashion, there is, unfortunately, no way to prove the claim. No colonial examples have survived with this pattern of stars. In fact, while arranging the stars in a single circle seems quite logical, among the various choices that might come to mind, early American flags with this star pattern are curiously absent. One of the interesting misconceptions about 13 star flags is that the Betsy Ross pattern, even if not the original design, must have been common in early America. Logic would suggest this, given the frequency with which it appears in modern times, but this isn’t actually the case. In fact, the pattern is seldom encountered anywhere until much later. In more than 30 years of buying and selling early Americana, and over 20 years of extensive focus on the American flag specifically, through aggressively buying, researching, evaluating, restoring, and curating exhibitions, I have thus far encountered just three examples of Betsy Ross pattern flags that I can confidently date prior to the 1890's. No one knows what the first flag looked like. While there is no precise reason that the Betsy Ross design could not have been the first, one of the best arguments against it, is illustrated by the simple fact that so many 13 star flags exist without it. If the Ross configuration was the original, it stands to reason that the pattern would have been reproduced with at least some degree of frequency. Research conducted by the National Museum of American History notes that the story of Betsy Ross making the very first American flag for General George Washington, in the company of George Ross and Robert Morris, entered into American consciousness about the time of the 1876 centennial. The tale was immensely popular among an American public eager for stories about the Revolution and its heroes. The first documentation of it appeared shortly beforehand, in 1870, in a paper written by Betsy’s grandson, William Canby, for the Pennsylvania Historical Society. At the time, Canby made no mention of how the flag was designed, save for the fact that it had 5-pointed stars, per his grandmother’s suggestion. Because no earlier documentation supports the story, most flag scholars feel it was a grand hoax, fabricated by Canby for his own interests. Nothing survives in the collective writings of the three men, for example, nor in records of their words and deeds, which are fairly extensive. As with most things, reality is perhaps somewhere in the middle ground, with some of the details based on fact and some on fiction, made up, misinterpreted, or imagined from family accounts. The first time that a star configuration gets attached to the Ross story appears to have occurred during the last decade of the 19th century. In 1892, Charles Weisgerber painted a nine-by-twelve-foot rendition of the fabled meeting between Betsy and George Washington, in which there is a flag with a circular wreath. Shortly afterwards, in 1898, Betsy’s granddaughter and great-granddaughter began to make flags in the East Wing of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, selling them to tourists while disseminating the family folk tale. In that same year, Weisgerber and a “group of concerned citizens” sought to preserve Betsy’s former Philadelphia residence at 239 Arch Street, where she lived at the time the flag would have been sewed. Weisgerber moved his family into the house and immediately opened to the public the room in which Betsy was said to have worked her magic. Ten-cent memberships were sold to fund renovations and donors received a small calendar, to which a cotton 13 star Betsy Ross pattern parade flag was affixed. The effects of these events caused the Ross legend to stick and the story, with the corresponding flag design, has appeared ever since in more places than one could ever hope to count. The stars of this particular flag are made of cotton, hand-sewn, and double-appliquéd (applied to both sides). The canton and stripes of the flag are made of wool bunting that has been pieced and joined with treadle stitching. There is a sailcloth canvas binding along the hoist, with two brass grommets, one each at the extreme top and bottom. Along this, on the obverse, near the bottom, are two, unusual characters, embroidered with brown thread. These may be letter “I’s,” possibly forming a the Roman Numeral “II.” They are followed by an inscription, in blue ink, that appears to read “A. N. Smith.” The first character is stylized, and may alternatively be a “D,” “H,” or perhaps a “J.” Note how the binding is extended beyond the top and bottom-most points. Though quite unusual, this is sometimes encountered in early examples. The folding of the wool bunting back onto itself, with the binding stitched so that part of the fold is exposed, tends to be an early characteristic. Common in Civil war flags...

13 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH A 3-2-3-2-3 CONFIGURATION OF STARS ON AN INDIGO CANTON, SQUARISH PROPORTIONS, AND A BEAUTIFUL OVERALL PRESENTATION, MADE circa 1895-1926 This 13 s...

13 STARS WITH SHORT, CONICAL ARMS ON A SMALL SCALE, ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG MADE DURING THE LAST DECADE F THE 19TH CENTURY; POSSIBLY OF PHILADELPHIA ORIGIN; FORMERLY IN THE COLLECTION ...

13 STARS IN THE BETSY ROSS PATTERN, ON A VINTAGE AMERICAN FLAG, MADE BY THE ANNIN COMPANY OF NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY, circa 1955 - 1965 13 star American national flag, made entirely of cotton by the Annin Company of New York & New Jersey, in the period between approximately 1955-1965. The stars are arranged in the circular wreath pattern most often associated with Betsy Ross. Flags in this design are widely admired, due to the longstanding popularity of the Ross family myth. While many Americans were taught in grammar school that this was what our first flag looked like, there is, unfortunately, no way to substantiate the claim, and no colonial flags...

This is a beautifully preserved WWII Navy aircraft carrier banner, emblazoned with a welcome for the ship's firemen. The banner is partially printed and has sewn elements. The flag's field is dyed a rich navy blue, with a resist dyed white stripe and a sewn red stripe at both top and bottom. A large "WELCOME" is resist dyed at center, in big white letters. This is followed by a sewn yellow strip of contrasting fabric, printed with the word "FIREMEN" in blue. Thirteen white stars complete the design of this patriotic piece of WWII and Navy history. The banner retains its original white hoist, with two metal grommets on each side, for ease in display on the ship. Along the center of the hoist is the printed name of "J.S. Sullivan." "Naugatuck, Conn." is printed along the left and the size "2 x3 FT" is printed along the right. The flag maker, Annin, has sewn in its label, boasting "guaranteed defiance fast colors." CONDITION: Very good condition, considering age and past use. Partially printed and hand-sewn flag construction. Some toning to the white of the flag and along the top hoist. Original grommets at left and right of the hoist. The flag measures 36" X 22". Expertly framed on black linen with an antiqued black wood...

A rare and fine Japanese six-fold gold-leaf screen with the depiction of Commodore Matthew Perry’s flagship the USS Mississippi Early Bakumatsu period (1853-1867) Measures: H. 61 x W. 183 cm Provenance: Private collection, USA On 8 July 1853 Commodore Matthew Perry with his paddle-wheel warships USS Mississippi and Susquehanna, and two sloops, with a total of 65 guns and little less than 1000 man, for the first time arrived in the harbour of Shimoda, in the bay of Edo, in his own words, “to open doors of commerce, and spread civilization to a backward people, and also to spread the Gospel of God to the heathen.” In Japanese parlance, the American ships quickly became known as “black ships,” depicted as demonic monsters. For the Japanese, these huge coal-burning ships...

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 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.

This is a beautiful Union Jack parade flag, dating from the early 1950s, during the early years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The flag is printed on cotton, with machine-sewn hemmed...

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...