Early 1900s Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Boldly Graphic And Colorful Teddy Roosevelt Textile, With His Portrait In A Large Heart And Rough Riders Above, Made To Celebrate His Receipt Of The Nobel Prize For Peace In 1906 In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt brokered a treaty between Japan and Russia to end the Russo-Japanese War, which centered on control of Korea and Manchuria. The reason ongoing struggle for of the territory was its great importance to China and Russia as a warm water port on the pacific coast. Japan had a fledgling navy, but it was steadily gaining power and, in 1903, to the great embarrassment of the proud and confident, Qing Dynasty, China was defeated by a superior Japanese force. The horrors resulting from this war led to Chinese revolution. War between Japan and China was followed by conflict with Russia over roughly the same lands. In 1904, Russia was amazed when Japan attacked before it was able to launch its own offensive operations. Russian naval and ground forces fared little better than the Chinese in this affair, and were overcome in the face of a growing Japanese empire. The Russian people, dissatisfied with Tsar Nicholas II, began their own revolution. In 1905, with American intervention, the war ended. Roosevelt mediated a treaty between the two countries, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on September 5th of that year. He received a Nobel Peace Prize for his actions in 1906. This rare and brilliant, kelly green textile glorifies Roosevelt’s role, as well as his history with the Rough Riders, depicted along the top register. They act as a crest for the heart-shaped medallion that holds a beautiful image of the president, as nice as any that exist across American political cloth. Around the heart are the famous words uttered by Henry Lee...

13 STARS IN A 3-2-3-2-3 PATTERN ON A UNITED STATES NAVY SMALL BOAT ENSIGN OF EXCEPTIONALLY SMALL SCALE, MADE AT THE BROOKLYN NAVY YARD, NEW YORK, SIGNED & DATED 1906 13 star Ameri...

THEODORE ROOSEVELT BANNER WITH AN EXQUISITE PORTRAIT IMAGE IN ROUGH RIDER'S GARB, COPYRIGHTED BY GEORGE ROCKWOOD (INVENTOR OF THE CDV), PRINTED IN BOSTON; ...

ELABORATE SAILOR’S SOUVENIR EMBROIDERY FROM THE ORIENT WITH A LARGE FEDERAL EAGLE, CROSSED FLAGS, CANNON AND ANCHOR, OBTAINED IN YOKOHAMA, JAPAN, DATED 1906: Between roughly 1885 and 1915, American sailors visiting the orient could obtain beautiful needlework embroideries on shore, with patriotic American themes. These extraordinary works of art were acquired as mementos of a long voyage, often with the hope that they might be presented as gifts for loved ones and friends. Using silk floss, elaborately embellished with both silver and gold metallic bullion thread, and combining various types of embroidery work and stitchery, artists working the piers in port towns would create these elaborate pictures, customizing them to the buyer's content. Executed on velvet, like this example, or sometimes on silk, the most common devices included eagles, flags, and shields, often with various maritime elements, frequently personalized with names or initials, locations, and dates. This particular example has all of the above. A spread-winged, war-like eagle is posed here upon clusters of arrows emerging from the apex of a federal shield, flanked on either side by trios of American national flags. Laurel leaves spring from the top of the shield, while a cannon barrel and an anchor extend from the base, with a stack of cannon balls to the left and a billowing streamer below. The familiar "E Pluribus Unum" motto appears on the streamer, separated by a single star. This is rather appropriate for the meaning of the phrase: "out of many, one." The initials of the sailor, "AP," appear in fanciful text at the top, in the valley between the eagle's wings. To the left and right of the flags are the date "April 24th 1906." and "Yokohama, Japan." It is of interest to note that the count of 45 stars on each flag in the foreground is correct for the period, as well as the count of 13 stars and 13 pales (vertical stripes) on the shield.* The attention to detail is relatively amazing, especially given the point of origin. It was not uncommon for American-made patriotic objects to lack such detail. Teddy Roosevelt was in the White House at the time that this textile was made. Utah became the 45th state in 1896. It had been attempting to gain statehood for many years, but remained a territory, primarily due to the fact that the Mormon Church and Utah authorities continued to be openly tolerant of polygamy. In 1890, Mormon Church President Wilford Woodruff published a manifesto that denounced the contract of “any marriages forbidden by the law of the land”. This gave way to Utah’s 1896 acceptance. The 45 star flag was generally used from that year until 1907, when Oklahoma joined the Union. Due to the Spanish-American War (1898) and Roosevelt’s famous world tour of the “White Fleet” (1907-1909), this was an extremely patriotic period. When examining the level of craftsmanship, note the glass eye employed in the eagle, the fan-like sprays of feathers on the white portion of the wings, and the tassels carefully knotted from metallic bullion thread. Also note the treatment of the raised feathers on the neck, the scales on the talons, and the spiraling chain...

BOLDLY GRAPHIC AND COLORFUL TEDDY ROOSEVELT TEXTILE, MADE TO CELEBRATE HIS RECEIPT OF THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR PEACE IN 1906: In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt brokered a treaty betw...

Listed is a quality presidential match safe which crosses over between match safes and American political patriotic items. It was produced at the turn of the century, probably during president McKinley's administration 1897-1901. McKinley led the nation to victory in the Spanish–American War, raised protective tariffs to promote American industry, and maintained the nation on the gold standard in a rejection of inflationary proposals. He was assassinated on September six, 1901, and succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt. Quite possibly this match safe was a commemorative item, signifying that event and President McKinley. Obviously, of American manufacture, it is in excellent all original condition with no restoration. Match safes were popular from 1870 through 1920 and were used to keep wooden friction matches dry and contained so that they would not rub together and combust prematurely in one's pocket. The wooden match wood be struck against the ribbed surface at the bottom to ignite (see image). The advent of matchbooks and the popularity of the cigarette lighter in the 1920s brought about the demise of the match safe. Provenance: This particular piece is from the George cross collection. George died in 2007 and was known for his discerning quest for quality and rarity. He collected saloon items and Western memorabilia...

13 hand-embroidered stars and expertly hand-sewn stripes, on a flag made by Sarah M. Wilson, Great-granddaughter of Betsy Ross, in Philadelphia in 1904. 13 star American national flag, entirely hand-sewn by Sarah M. Wilson, great-granddaughter of Betsy Ross. The stripes are constructed of silk ribbon carefully pieced with tiny stitches and a degree of precision seldom seen on American textiles. The five-pointed stars are executed with lineal lines like a spokes on a carriage wheel or the rowel of a spur. These are constructed of silk floss on a canton made of blue silk taffeta. The stripes of the flag are constructed of silk ribbon and hand-sewn with especially tiny stitches. The five-pointed stars are executed with lineal lines like a spokes on a carriage wheel or the rowel of a spur. These are constructed of silk floss on a canton made of blue silk taffeta. There is hand-sewn cotton binding along the hoist. Beginning circa 1898, Rachel Albright, Betsy’s granddaughter, began producing flags like this one in the East Wing of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. She sold them to tourists and probably sometimes gifted them to individuals who made donations to the American Flag House and Betsy Ross Memorial Association. She was elderly and sometime circa 1902, as her health began to fail, she was joined by Sarah Wilson, Betsy's great-granddaughter, and the two women operated their tiny cottage industry until 1905, when Rachel relocated to Fort Madison, Iowa. She passed in 1907. Sarah continued in the trade until, circa 1913. The Albright and Wilson flags are extraordinary because of their tiny size and silk, hand-sewn construction. They are extremely easy to identify because their characteristics are so distinctive. There is nothing else like them among 13 star flags made during this period. That having been said, they were individually made and do exhibit a small degree of personalized variation. The sleeves or hoist bindings vary in width and some have tiny, hand-sewn grommets. The Wilson flags were sometimes signed along the hoist binding and sometimes not. When signed, they will have the following text: “Made by Sarah M. Wilson, Great grand-daughter of Betsy Ross; East Wing of Independence Hall Philadelphia,” followed by a date. They can also be found with hand-inscribed notes. This particular flag has a note the reads: “Made by Miss [note the long “S” Germanic] Sarah M. Wilson, Great-Granddaughter of Betsy Ross; 1776; 1904; East Wing of Independence Hall.” I used to think that the notes were more common, but the passage of time has taught me otherwise. Notes are few-and-far-between, probably existing with 5% or fewer of Sarah’s flags. Rachael and Sarah proudly proclaimed that a circular wreath pattern was the design on the very first flag in 1776 [though the flag act wasn’t passed until 1777], but no hard evidence exists to substantiate what became family lore. In fact, no one knows precisely what the star configuration was on the first flag, but it is unlikely that it had a perfect circle of stars. Of the very few colonial examples that survive, none are in this pattern. Further, while there are thousands of 13 star flags that still exist today, having been made during the 19th century for all manner of patriotic and utilitarian purposes, almost none made prior to the 1890s survive that have their stars arranged in a “Betsy Ross”, perfect circle pattern. Circular patterns do appear in a couple of early illustrations, including one piece of American currency...

13 stars, a us navy small boat ensign made at the Brooklyn navy yard, New York, dated 1907: 13 star American national flag of the type used by the U.S. Na...

13 stars, a us navy small boat ensign made at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York, dated 1907: 13 star American national flag of the type used by the U.S. Na...

48 star American Parade flag with a bold Civil War veteran's overprint, a 1908 date, a cornflower blue canton, and a staggered row configuration, made 4 years prior to the addition o...

46 STAR U.S. MILITARY CAMP COLORS, PRESS-DYED ON WOOL BUNTING, MADE BY HORSTMANN, PHILADELPHIA, SIGNED AND DATED 1909, ON ITS REMARKABLE, ORIGINAL STAFF: American military camp colors are rare in the antiques marketplace. These little flags, generally the smallest used for military purposes, stood outside tents to mark encampments. The staffs that they were affixed could be rather massive by contrast. Some were thick, tapered at both ends, and stood about eight feet in height, like the remarkable one still affixed to this 46 star example. Terminating in an acorn finial, note how the tapered brass tip at the bottom would allow the staff to be more easily driven into the ground, provided the earth was soft enough to accommodate. When attached to the flag, the staff was slipped completely through a wide, open sleeve along the hoist end and tacked in place, as seen here. Camp colors were also used for military drilling within the encampment. More innocuous than traditional battle flags and guidons (flank-markers), camp colors were typically not painted or embroidered with unit identification and were not saved and recorded with the same consistency. They were probably seldom carried in parades like their battle flag counterparts, or displayed in armories and veterans' halls. I have been privileged to own a small handful of Civil War period camp colors over the years, in both the 34 and 35-star counts, in a style that matches identified examples in the New York State Military Museum. They also match a pair of flags in a private collection, which are tacked to their original wooden staffs that have embossed metal labels from the maker, specifically identifying them as camp colors. A 13 star example with the same style of construction is also known. All have precisely the same manner of construction and are in a similar size, measuring about 1.5 feet on the hoist and 24" or so on the fly, sometimes slightly less, and with a presentation that is nearly square. Made of press-dyed wool bunting, there is an integrated sleeve along the hoist end where an unusual amount of extra fabric was rolled back onto itself, lined with cotton or linen for strength, and stitched into place. The stars of this example are arranged in rows of 8-7-8-8-7-8, which is the most common configuration found on flags with the 46 star count. This is the only camp colors in this style that I have ever encountered in a star count outside 34, 35, and 13. Made in Philadelphia by Horstmann, it is signed with a stamp along the hoist, in the first white stripe below the canton, where it is also dated "5-29 09." Horstmann was a known source for press-dyed flags during the second half of the 19th century. The 46th state, Oklahoma, joined the Union on November 16th, 1907, during Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency. Roosevelt had many friends in the Oklahoma Territory from his Rough Rider days, and pushed it through to statehood. The 46 star flag became official on July 4th, 1908 and remained so until July 3rd, 1912. Many 46 star flags were made earlier, however, in great anticipation of the future addition of the state, which had previously been appointed to Native Americans. A Brief History of the Horstmann Company: William H. Horstmann (1785-1850) was the founder of what would become a major military outfitter in both Philadelphia and New York City. A solider and fourth-generation passementier (textile weaver), he emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1816 and settled in the Germantown area of Philadelphia, where there was a significant concentration of textile manufacture. There he married the daughter of the most successful lace manufacturing firm, and started his own business in coach lace and military goods at the corner of 59 North 3rd Street. He imported looms from Germany and elsewhere and maintained a regular trade with his family in Europe. The company grew exponentially in size and had many addresses over its years of operation. In 1828, the William H. Horstmann Military Store opened. In 1843 it became William H. Horstmann & Sons Military Store, and in 1859 it was taken over by sons, Sigmund H. and William J., and began to operate as Horstmann Bros. & Co. The company manufactured its own goods, including flags, swords, drums, insignia, and many other items, and it subcontracted their manufacture as well, depending on financial sensibility. There were investors along the way, such as William S. Hassall and George Evans, who broke off and began their own large and successful firm. The New York branch changed its name in 1877 to that of a Horstmann partner, H.V. Allien, in 1877. Both Philadelphia and New York branches filed for bankruptcy and closed in 1948. Some Notes on Press-Dyed Flags Press-dyed wool flags...