WWII Liberation Flag with 23 Silver Gilt Stars, ca 1944

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WWII LIBERATION FLAG w/ 23 SILVER GILT STARS ON A CORNFLOWER BLUE CANTON & 16 STRIPES, MADE TO WELCOME U.S. TROOPS IN FRANCE FOLLOWING LIBERATION FROM THE GERMANS IN THE WAKE OF THE 1944 NORMANDY INVASION, FOUND IN BRITTANY: French-made variant of the Stars & Stripes with striking colors, 23 stars, 16 stripes, and beautiful graphics. Found in Brittany, in the coastal village of Le Conquet, the westernmost town in mainland France, the flag is indicative of examples produced in make-do fashion during WWII (American involvement 1941-45) by the private citizens of Europe. Such flags were displayed with great emotion upon the arrival of Allied Forces into one community after the next, following successful liberation from the Nazi Germany. In France, this took place in 1944 in the wake of the June 6th Normandy invasion. Le Conquet itself was liberated by a combination of Free French soldiers and the U.S. Army’s 5th Ranger Battalion in September of 1944, culminating with a parade of celebration on September 9th. This was part of an ongoing evacuation of the German occupation along the coastline by the 5th Rangers, during the Brittany Campaign, that concluded on September 17th of that year. The following day, Sept. 18th, the unit was re-designated as the 12th U.S. Army Group Reserve. Approx. 2.5 months later, on December 1st, it was consolidated into the 6th Cavalry and departed for the invasion of Germany. The count of stripes and stars on liberation flags, displayed with American celebratory intent, was quite often a product of a lack of familiarity with the required numbers. In other instances, as-is the case here, the result was simply a function of whatever fabrics were at hand to repurpose. This particular flag is one-sided, typical of those produced in haste and at a time of great depravity. The canton is made of two lengths of cornflower blue silk that have been joined by treadle stitching, on which five-pointed stars had been previously applied in silver gilt. The fabric was obviously salvaged from whatever was available, perhaps from some sort of sash, as evidenced by both the narrow width of the cloth, as well as the fact that the stars oppose one another on the two lengths, in terms of their vertical orientation. In other words, this was previously a single length of fabric, clipped in the center, with the two sections rotated toward one another, so that they were aligned, and joined. The fact that the stars existed before the flag is, in part, evidenced by some of their points having been folded under when the canton was applied. The blue silk was appliqued to a length of red and white striped, twill-woven cloth that serves as the striped field. Every bit as unusual as the gilded stars, and every bit as beautiful as the blue silk, I have never seen this particular fabric. Almost certainly of French origin, made of cotton, perhaps with some wool content, it is of notably high quality, very soft and with a wide selvedge along the last red stripe. The remainder of the field was finished with hand-stitching. The top and fly ends were hemmed by hand. The hoist was rolled over and hand-sewn to form a wide, open sleeve, this having been executed before the canton was applied. Both fabrics are antique. The silk is almost certainly mid-latter 19th century and the striped cloth circa 1875-1910. A long length of braided hemp or jute rope was applied to the flag with hand-stitching at the top, bottom, and center of the fly end. It seems most likely that the flag was hung vertically by the owner, who would have inserted a staff through the sleeve, then tied the bottom corners into place. Note how the blue canton rests on a red stripe, as opposed to white. When this occurs, some flag historians have referred to this as the “blood stripe” or the “war stripe”, suggesting that the flag was constructed in this fashion when the nation was at war. In actuality, because there was no official legislation regarding this facet of American flag design until 1912, there was no specified position. In this instance, the maker clearly had no concept of even the most fundamental details of the American flag, past the fact that it was to have some number of stars on a blue union, and some number of red and white stripes. In spite of the obvious lack of knowledge or intent, the war stripe feature is coveted by collectors. Mounting: For 25 years we have maintained our own textile conservation department, led by a master’s degree level graduate from one of the nation’s top programs. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and related textiles and have preserved thousands of examples. The background fabric is 100% cotton twill, black in color, that has been washed and treated for colorfastness. The mount was placed in a black-painted, gilded, and distressed Italian molding with a wide, shaped profile. The glazing is U.V. Protective acrylic (Plexiglas). Feel free to contact us for more details. Condition: The overall condition is extraordinary for the period, with but minor imperfections and very minor soiling. Many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age and history of use.

Dimensions:
Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 37.5 in (95.25 cm)Depth: 2.5 in (6.35 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Cotton
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1940-1949
Date of Manufacture:
1944
Condition:
See Item Description.
Seller Location:
York County, PA
Reference Number:
Seller: 23j-8061stDibs: LU849741177202

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