Felt Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS PENNANT OF NOTABLE WEIGHT, QUALITY, & SCALE, circa 1914-1920’s Large, felt, Marine Corps pennant with appliquéd felt letters and the central device of its official seal, the latter adorned with chain-stitched detailing. The colors used to represent the Marine Corps changed over time. The present combination of scarlet red and gold, predominant here, were formally adopted in 1925, but American military traditions tend to be as hard to extinguish as the men and women of their ranks, and the Corps was certainly no exception. 14 years would pass before the official change caught up with the Marine Corps’ flag...

EARLY UNITED STATES AIR FORCE PENNANT, MADE NEAR THE TIME OF ITS INCEPTION AS ITS OWN BRANCH OF THE MILITARY, circa 1947-1950’s Felt pennant with a blue panel along the hoist end an...

RARE SUFFRAGETTE ARMBAND IN GOLDEN YELLOW FELT, ONE OF ONLY TWO EXAMPLES THAT I HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN THIS COLOR & THE ONLY ONE IN THIS EXACT STYLE; MADE circa 1912-1919: Wide, felt ...

TEXAS CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION PENNANT, CELEBRATING 100-YEARS OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE FROM MEXICO AND ITS ESTABLISHMENT AS AN INDEPENDENT NATION While most states celebrate anniversaries of statehood, Texas and Hawaii are the only two that previously existed as independent nations. Spain claimed ownership of a significant portion of modern-day Texas in 1519, as an extension of Mexico. France claimed ownership for a 5-year period, from 1685-1690, returning to Spanish rule thereafter. In 1821, Mexico declared its independence, taking Texas with it, maintaining control until 1836, when it became the Republic of Texas, declaring its own independence, following the Texas Revolution...

Large, swallowtail, yellow suffragette pennant with applied lettering that reads "VOTES FOR WOMEN” down a wide black stripe, circa 1910-1920 Large, felt, Suffragette pennant with a tapered, swallowtail format. Golden yellow in color, with a black binding and black ties, there is a wide black stripe in the center, upon which applied gold felt letters read simply: "Votes for Women." Golden yellow was the customary color of the suffrage movement in America, coupled with a variety of subordinate colors, primarily black on felt textiles. Purple and green were the traditional colors of the movement in England, though these sometimes appear in the States. An example of this particular pennant is documented in "The Keynoter: Journal of the American Political Items Conservators," Summer/Fall/Winter 2008 (Women's Suffrage Special Triple Issue), Volume 2008, Number 2-4, p.37.) Yellow Suffrage pennants were often produced in two variants, with the colors simply reversed. One in this style is documented in the same reference on p. 129. Mounting: The pennant has been hand-stitched to 100% hemp fabric. The mount was in gilded French molding...

TRIANGULAR FELT SUFFRAGETTE PENNANT WITH AN INTERESTING DESIGN AND TEXT THAT READS: "VOTES FOR WOMEN", IN AN EXCEPTIONAL STATE OF PRESERVATION, CA 1910-1920 Triangular, felt, suffra...

Presented is a souvenir felt pennant celebrating the servicemen and women of the U.S. Air Corps who were based in Australia and fought alongside members of the Royal Australian Air Force during WWII. The navy pennant features a printed red outline of the Australian continent with the U.S. Air Corps “wings” superimposed on it. Below, the text reads, “Souvenir of U.S. Air Corps in Australia.” At the very bottom of the pennant is the U.S. Air Corps symbol. Framed according to archival standards, this pennant symbolizes the collaborative partnership between the United States and Australia during the height of the Second World War in the Pacific Theater. Following the swift Japanese conquest of the Philippines and East Indies in late 1941, the remaining servicemen of the United States Army Air Force in the Pacific eventually relocated to Australia, to join other US and Australian units, including the Fifth Air Force, and regroup. The Fifth Air Force was placed under the command of Major General George Kenney in July of 1942. Their new goal was to seize air superiority over New Guinea and gain back air coverage over the Solomon Sea. General Kenney worked with U.S. Army General MacArthur...

Presented is a souvenir felt pennant celebrating the servicemen and women of the U.S. Navy who were based in Australia and fought alongside members of the Royal Australian Navy during WWII. The navy blue pennant is printed with the red outline of Australia underneath the U.S. Great Seal. Below that sits a white anchor with the abbreviation, “U.S.N,” and the words, “Souvenir of U.S.N in Australia.” At the fly end is a light blue kangaroo. Framed according to archival standards, this pennant symbolizes the collaborative partnership between the United States and Australia during the height of the Second World War in the Pacific Theater. On December 7, 1941, Japan staged a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, severely damaging the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Japan launched a relentless assault and quickly amassed a vast new empire with a defensive perimeter that ranged from western Alaska to the Solomon Islands. In the southwest Pacific, Japan threatened American supply lines to Australia. The Australian Prime Minister John Curtin called on America for help and the United States responded. Starting in early 1942, thousands of American troops began arriving in Australia, preparing to fight the Pacific war. By 1943, there were 250,000 Americans stationed in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Working together, the United States and its allies in Australia and New Zealand launched an Allied amphibious counterattack across the Pacific, repeatedly bombing and storming Japanese-held territory, targeting tiny islands as well as the jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines. In early May 1942, U.S. and Japanese carrier forces clashed in the Battle of the Coral Sea. While both sides suffered major losses, the U.S. Navy checked a major Japanese offensive for the first time. In the Battle of Midway the following month, U.S. carrier aircraft destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers. By shifting the balance of naval power in the Pacific, Midway allowed US forces to take the offensive for the first time. The Allies soon set their sights on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and on New Guinea. In August 1942, the United States mounted a major amphibious landing at Guadalcanal. Naval forces under the command of Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey moved north through the Solomons and General Douglas MacArthur’s troops pushed west along the northern coast of Papua New Guinea, grinding out hard-fought victories by March 1943. Instead of launching ground invasions of Japanese strongholds, Allied planes and ships opted to isolate and neutralize key Japanese bases from the air and sea, and instead invade the less-well-defended islands. This practice of skipping over heavily fortified islands in order to seize lightly defended locations that could support the next advance became known as “island hopping” or “leapfrogging.” Soldiers, sailors, and the U.S. Marines pressed forward on two fronts, leaping from island to island in the southwest Pacific, while a central Pacific campaign began with the invasion of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands in November 1943. By the end of the year, a two-pronged assault on Japan was well underway. Throughout the Pacific War, but especially from 1942 to 1943, Australia remained an important base of operations. U.S. naval units frequently anchored at Sydney and Perth, and General Douglas MacArthur, who became the Supreme Commander of South-West Pacific Area in April 1942 initially established his headquarters in Melbourne. Many U.S. and Australian troops embarked in Australia, using it as a base of operations prior to their deployment to New Guinea and other islands in the Southwest Pacific. Between 1942 and 1945, nearly one million U.S. troops passed through Australia in their attempt to recapture the Philippines. Souvenirs such as this pennant were produced for both soldiers and civilians, to celebrate their joint efforts. This unique piece of WWII history is a testament to not only the large-scale collaborative military operations in the Pacific Theater, but also the successful cooperation between Allied countries. CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Navy felt pennant, with a sewn light blue headband, and two looped ties...

This pennant celebrates the inauguration of John Fitzgerald Kennedy as the 35th President of the United States. Bearing his black and white portrait, the patriotic pennant reads, “Our 35th President / John F. Kennedy.” Made of felt, the pennant has a white field with red and blue letters, blue ties, and a red headband...

"VOTES FOR WOMEN" PENNANT WITH AN IMAGE OF A 1911 STATUETTE CALLED "SUFFRAGIST" BY ELLA BUCHANAN, MADE FOR CARRIE CHAPMAN CATT'S "WOMAN SUFFRAGE PARTY" OF NEW YORK CITY, CA 1912-20 ...

This vintage Air Force Academy pennant dates to the 1960s. The felt pennant has a blue background with a white headband. Decorated with the U.S. Flag...

Yellow felt suffragette flag, made for Carrie Chapman Catt's "Woman suffrage party" of New York City, circa 1912-1920, the only example that I have ever encountered, circa 1910-1920,...