Rare Suffragette Sash Made of Silk Ribbon

13 STAR RIBBON, WOVEN SILK, circa 1876-1910 13 star antique American flag ribbon, made of woven silk, of the type encountered in military, political, and fraternal badges and ribbon...

COLORADO STATE FLAG OF EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY, MADE OF SILK, CIRCA 1911-1920’s, EXTRAORDINARILY RARE IN THIS PERIOD AND THE EARLIEST EXAMPLE THAT I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED Early state flags are few and far between. While I am asked for them constantly, most states did not actually have official flags until the 20th century. On May 6th, 1911, Colorado became among the last to adopt a design. The project of doing so was spearheaded by the Denver Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The bill was introduced by Senator W.H. Sharply and adopted by the Eighteenth General Assembly. The artwork was the product of A.C. [Andrew Carlisle] Carson, President of the Ohio Society of Colorado. The meanings behind the elements in the design are as follows: The large letter "C" stands for Colorado and simultaneously for the Centennial State (Colorado entered the Union in 1876, the year in which our nation celebrated its 100th anniversary of independence), as well as the Columbine State (reflecting the state flower). The red color is included due to the fact that the word Colorado translates to scarlet or red in Spanish. The circle represents the sun, while the gold color symbolizes all-the-year sunshine, Colorado’s status as the greatest gold state, and one Columbine color. It was also included so that the Colorado state flag would have one more color than the U.S. flag. The color white reflects Colorado’s status as the greatest silver state, its eternal mountain snow, and one Columbine color. Lastly, the shade of Yale blue symbolizes all-the-year blue sky and one Columbine Color. Members of the D.A.R. were proud to note that this was also their color. Made sometime between the initial year of the adoption of this design and the 1920’s, this particular flag is the earliest Colorado example that I have ever encountered. The blue and white bars, red “C,” and golden circle are a’’ made of silk taffeta. This was a costly fabric, reserved for the best material a flag-maker produced. The flag is constructed in the manner of a battle flag, to be carried on foot. Squarish in its overall profile, silk was the fabric of choice for flags employed in this function, due to the fact that it was light weight, and thus practical for hand-carrying, while simultaneously formal in appearance, appropriate for the sort of ceremonial use that military presentation often demands. The style of the hoist is also typical for field or parade use. Here the fabric was rolled over to form an open sleeve, through which a wooden staff could be inserted. The sleeve is lined on the interior with black cotton. Leather tabs, at the top and bottom, fit over metal posts on the staff, designed to accept them, to fix the flag in its proper position. The bars were pieced and joined with lineal machine stitching. The hoist and fly ends were finished and hemmed by the same method. The devices are double-appliquéd (applied to both sides) with a machine buttonhole / blanket stitch. Though machines that produced buttonholes were, remarkably, available alongside the earliest standard machines, in the 1850’s and 60’s, the use of this sort of stitch in a running format, for appliqué work, remained highly unusual, even as late as the first half of the twentieth century, probably because it used a ton of thread when compared to the zigzag or satin stitch. It could be expected to appear more often in the hands of a maker of very fine flags, that employed embroidery machines and commissioned custom, fancy work of all sorts. Though unsigned—in no way uncommon in early examples, which were seldom signed—that is precisely the sort of firm that produced the Colorado flag...

48 crocheted stars on a very graphic, three-dimensional flag made from silk ribbon and crocheted rings, WWI Era (U.S. involvement 1917-18) Homemade, ha...

SILK CAMPAIGN KERCHIEF FEATURING A PROMINENT BULL MOOSE, MADE FOR THE 1912 PRESIDENTIAL RUN OF TEDDY ROOSEVELT, WHEN HE RAN ON THE NATIONAL PROGRESSIVE PARTY TICKET Printed silk ker...

Presented is an original patriotic sash from the late 19th century, featuring 13 stars against a bright blue field. This sash features appliqued silver stars on a blue canton, red an...

An important & rare antique American political printed silk broadside, an elegy on the death of President George Washington, dated 1800. A poem on the Death of President George Was...

Very rare west riding constabulary cast iron wall plaque This branch of the British police force was established in 1825, Yorkshire was divided into ...

Very rare William and Mary pewter trefid spoon the handle molded in relief with portraits and dating from around 1690. The spoon has an elongated rounded ...