Late 19th Century Folk Art

LARGE & BEAUTIFULLY FADED, ANTIQUE AMERICAN JACK w/ 45 STARS ARRANGED IN A “NOTCHED” PATTERN, INTENTIONALLY LEAVING SPACE FOR THE 3 REMAINING WESTERN TERRITORIES YET TO BE ADDED; MAD...

33 STARS ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH A "GREAT STAR" CONFIGURATION ON A BRILLIANT, INDIGO BLUE CANTON, A RARE AND EXTRAORDINARY EXAMPLE, PRE-CIVIL WAR THROUGH THE WAR'S OPENING YEAR, 1...

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 ...

38 STARS IN AN EXTREMELY UNUSUAL CONFIGURATION THAT BEARS A CLUSTER OF 6 SMALL STARS WITHIN A LINEAL PATTERN OF LARGER STARS, 1876-1889, COLORADO STATEHOOD 38 star American national parade flag, printed on cotton. This is an extremely rare example of a lineal pattern flag with a wreath or cluster of smaller stars inserted in the center. A very small number of flags in this style are known to have survived, the colors of which are typically saturated and vibrant, like this example, in scarlet red and rich, royal blue. The particular wreath in the center of the configuration is really more of a pentagon with a single, center star. The reason for the choice of the design and 6 smaller stars seems a curious one on the surface, but its purpose was probably nothing more than to simply augment a 36 star print block to one with 38 stars. One may observe how 4 stars, that would have comprised the center of a 6 x 6 pattern, could have simply been removed and 6 smaller stars inserted in their place, in an artful fashion. At least two other similar 38-star patterns are known that incorporate 4 small stars intermingled between rows of what most certainly were two very similar 34-star flag print blocks originally. It was easier to modify these blocks rather than create brand new ones. In these particular instances, the results are rare, quirky configurations that are highly prized by collectors. Colorado became the 38th state on August 1st, 1876. This was the year of our nation’s 100-year anniversary of independence. Per the Third Flag Act of 1818, stars were not officially added until the 4th of July following a state's addition. For this reason, 37 was the official star count for the American flag in 1876. Flag-making was a competitive venture, however, and few flag-makers would have been continuing to produce 37 star flags when their competitors were making 38’s. It is for this reason that 38 and 13 stars (to represent the original 13 colonies) are more often seen at the Centennial International Exposition, the six-month long World’s Fair held in Philadelphia in honor of the event. Some flag-makers would have been adding a star for the 38th state even before it entered the Union, in the early part of 1876 or even prior. In fact, many makers of parade flags were actually producing 39 star flags, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of two more Western Territories instead of one. But the 39th state would not join the Union for another 13 years, when the Dakota Territory entered as two states on the same day. The 38 star flag became official on July 4th, 1877 and was generally used until the addition of the Dakotas in 1889. Provenance: Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques to the late collector Jim Ring...

36 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN PARADE FLAG, WITH STARS THAT ALTERNATE IN THEIR VERTICAL POSITION FROM COLUMN TO COLUMN AND ROW-TO-ROW, PRINTED ON AN ESPECIALLY INTERESTING LENGTH OF COARSE...

13 STARS IN THE BETSY ROSS PATTERN, WITH 45 STARS ON THE REVERSE; ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG MADE AND SIGNED BY A PREVIOUSLY UNIDENTIFIED FLAG-MAKER, ANNIE MAC LACHLAN OF JERSEY CI...

38 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN PARADE FLAG WITH JUSTIFIED ROWS OF 7-6-6-6-6-7 AND SCATTERED STAR ORIENTATION, MADE DURING THE PERIOD WHEN COLORADO WAS THE MOST RECENT STATE TO JOIN THE UNION, 1876-1889 38 star American national parade flag, printed on coarse cotton, possibly with flax content. One of the flag’s most interesting features is the wild sweep of the grain of the fabric, the warp and weft of which are anything but perpendicular. The stars are arranged in justified rows of 7-6-6-6-6-7. This results in a secondary pattern that I commonly call a “box-in-a-box-in-a-box”, because of the way in which the seemingly haphazard arrangement creates three consecutive squares. Note how the stars point in various directions on their vertical axis, which adds a nice element of folk quality to the overall design. Most parade flags in this star count have red stripes that lean heavily toward orange, with a vibrant, chromatic luster. This was common across printed flags produced between the 1850's and the 38 star period, phasing out in the last decade of the 19th century. Also note how the wear and patina contribute to an endearing presentation that displays its long-term use gracefully. Colorado became the 38th state on August 1st, 1876. This was the year of our nation’s 100-year anniversary of independence. Per the Third Flag Act of 1818, stars were not officially added until the 4th of July following a state's addition. For this reason, 37 was the official star count for the American flag in 1876. In the latter 19th century, it became common to add stars before the respective state(s) had even entered the Union. No one cared what was official, not even the military, where the matter of practicality with regard to flags always seems to have outweighed regulations. In the private sector, commercial flag-making was a competitive venture. Few flag-makers continued to produce 37 star flags when their competitors had jumped the star count to 38. It is for this reason that 38 and 13 stars (to represent the original 13 colonies) are more often seen at the Centennial International Exposition, the six-month long World’s Fair, held in Philadelphia, that served as the nucleus of the national celebration. Some makers of printed parade flags actually began to produce 39 star flags in 1876, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of two more Western Territories instead of one. The 39th state would not join the Union for another 13 years, however, when the Dakota Territory—thought to be coming as a single state—entered as two separate states on November 2nd, 1889. The 38 star flag generally fell out of production at that time, though it technically remained official until July 3rd, 1890. President Ulysses S. Grant was in office when the first 38 star flags would have appeared. The list of presidents that served during the period when the 38 star flag was official include Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield...

MERINO SHEEP WEATHERVANE, THE VERY BEST OF ITS KIND AND WITH PERHAPS THE BEST SURFACE THAT EXISTS ON SURVIVING EXAMPLES, ATTRIBUTED TO A.J. HARRIS & CO., BOSTON, circa 1875 This fan...

Unique, hand-painted banner with the seal of the state of mississippi, likely having represented delegates from that state at the 1872 republican or dem...

“Visit To Camp,” an extraordinarily rare card game by mclaughlin brothers of new york, circa 1871. This extremely rare card game, designed with Civil War context, was made by McLoughlin Brothers in New York City. The set includes 12 (complete) chromolithographed, character playing cards, and 68 (out of 72) object cards, with various accoutrements. All of the above are housed in a wooden storage box with a slide lid and a chromolithographed, paper label. Played in an ad-lib, story-telling format, the characters include the Colonel, the Captain, the Zouave soldier with red pantaloons, the Rifleman, the Artilleryman, the Riding Master, the Musician, the Ferrier, the Surgeon, the Sapper (engineer), the Sutler (cook), and the Vi Vandeer (a woman who takes care of the troops). Each character was originally linked to 6 objects, which were to be produced by players on demand during a spoken reading of the game’s convoluted story-line. There are actually 69 cards included here, one of which is an object card for “the Chinaman.” Since the card matches the style exactly in printing, shape, and scale, and since there was no Chinaman in this game, I presume that the card must have once accompanied another McLaughlin ad-lib deck. The instructions (reproduced, in scale) list 13 possible players, with the 13th acting as narrator. I could locate only 3 other copies of this extremely rare game, all of which included 12 cards. McLoughlin Brothers is said to have pioneered the systematic use of color printing technologies in children’s books. The publishing firm opened in 1820 and was active until 1920, when it was sold to Milton Bradley. During the early years, the product line included toys in addition to books, among which were games, blocks, and paper dolls. Artwork from famous illustrators such as Thomas Nast, William Momberger, Ida Waugh” (Laura Wasowicz), Justin Howard, and Palmer Cox...

13 Star American parade flag in an extremely rare design, with “protection to home industries” slogan on a fanciful, scrolling streamer, made for the 1888 presidential campaign of Benjamin Harrison; formerly in the collection of Richard pierce. 1888 Benjamin Harrison campaign flag, printed on cotton, with 13 large stars in a 3-2-3-2-3 pattern, upon which a whimsical, scrolling streamer is superimposed that features the slogan: “Protection to Home Industries.” There are numerous styles of both documented and undocumented, red, white, and blue bandanas and handkerchiefs, made for Harrison’s campaign in this year, as well as from the subsequent one, in 1892. Most bear variations of text to support the “Protection for American Industries” platform of the Republican Party. America was in the midst of the industrial age and there was a great deal of public interest, both in protecting growth and discouraging both imported goods and immigration. The constant stream of immigrants posed great challenges for a working families, competing for scarce jobs, in work environments that were already often far from ideal. In post-Civil War America, many of the working men were Civil War veterans. Bandanas abound from Harrison’s Campaigns, but flags do not. This example, along with three others, were once part of an 1888 patriotic quilt that was disassembled by a dealer and sold piecemeal to collectors. I eventually acquired all four. Fifteen to twenty years ago, these were the only four known copies. A couple of others have since surfaced, but the total count known still stands closer to 5 than 10. The use of 13 stars is seen in the flags of various candidates in the 19th century. Among these are Abraham Lincoln (1860 campaign), Henry Clay (1844 campaign), John Fremont (1856), and Benjamin Harrison’s grandfather, William Henry Harrison...

Commission pennants are the distinguishing mark of a commissioned U.S. Navy ship. Flown at the topmast, the typical American format is a long blue field, usually with a single row of white stars, although sometimes with their total divided into two rows, followed by two long stripes, red-over-white. A ship became commissioned when this pennant was hoisted. Flown during both times of peace and war, the only time the pennant is not flown is if a flag officer or civilian official was aboard and replaced it with their own flag. Sometimes the owners of private ships mimicked the use of Navy signals. Some seafaring men would have served in the Navy and become privy to various practices in that capacity. Others flew them purely for stylistic reasons, either on a regular basis or while the boat was dressed for special occasion. Hudson River steamers regularly flew pennants of this nature, as evidenced by period photography as well as the paintings of artists such as John and James Bard...

38 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH A DOUBLE-WREATH CONFIGURATION THAT FEATURES AN ENORMOUS CENTER STAR, REFLECTS THE PERIOD OF COLORADO STATEHOOD, 1876-1889: 38 star American national flag, made entirely of plain weave cotton. The stars are arranged in a medallion configuration. This features an enormous center star, surrounded by two wreaths of much smaller stars, with a flanking star in each corner of the blue canton. The sort of disparity here, present in the scale of the large star, versus those around it, is both exceptionally unusual and graphically dynamic. Colorado became the 38th state on August 1st, 1876. This was the year of our nation’s centennial. Per the Third Flag Act of 1818, stars were not officially added until the 4th of July following a state's addition. For this reason, 37 remained the official star count for the American flag until part way through the following year. Flag-making was a competitive venture, however, and few flag-makers would have continued to produce 37 star flags when their competitors were making 38’s. Many flag-makers added a 38th star before Colorado entered the Union, in the early part of 1876, or possibly even prior. In fact, many makers of printed flags, called parade flags or hand-wavers, were actually producing flags in the 39 star count, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of two more Western Territories instead of one. It is for these reasons that 38, 39, and 13 stars, to representing the original 13 colonies, are most often seen on flags displayed at the Centennial International Exhibition. Hosted in Philadelphia, this enormous event was our nation’s first World’s Fair, lasted for a duration of six months, and served as the nucleus of celebrations held to honor America’s 100-year anniversary of independence. The 38 star flag became official on July 4th, 1877 and was generally used until the 39th state was added in November of 1889. This is probably a homemade flag, though sewn by a very skilled hand, or possibly, by two different individuals. The stripes are pieced and sewn entirely by hand, with remarkable care and precision. The canton is constructed of two lengths of blue fabric, that have been joined with treadle stitching. This was joined to the striped field by hand. The stars are double-appliquéd (applied to both sides) with treadle stitching. There is a treadle-sewn, cotton binding along the hoist, with five, hand-sewn grommets. It is extremely unusual to encounter this combination of sewing methods. Soon after the sewing machine was mass-marketed, in the mid-1850’s, flag-makers both public and private made good use of treadle machines, to join stripes, when constructing American flags. During the Civil War (1861-65), most stripes were treadle-sewn. Stars were another matter. Until the advent of electric machines...

38 star antique American parade flag with scattered star orientation, made of silk, with generous scale and vivid colors, Colorado Statehood, 1876-1889 38 star American national p...

Elaborate sailor’s souvenir embroidery from the orient with a beautiful hand-painted image of Washington crossing the Delaware, surrounded by a large eagle, federal shield, crossed flags, a cannon, cannonballs, and anchor, circa 1885-1910: Between roughly 1880 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...

Winterberry pattern quilt with flying geese, in patriotic colors and with exceptional graphic impact, entirely hand-pieced and hand-quilted, circa 1860s-1870s Made approximately b...

34 STARS IN A WHIMSICAL RENDITION OF THE GREAT STAR PATTERN, ON A CIVIL WAR PERIOD FLAG WITH A CORNFLOWER BLUE CANTON, UPDATED TO 39 STARS IN 1876 34 star American national flag with additional stars added and one of the most stunning graphic designs I have ever seen in early flag-making. The original pattern was comprised of a circle of 5 large stars, and triangular arms made of smaller stars. These are noticeable pointy and bent like the arms of a starfish. Made of cotton, the stars are hand-sewn and double-appliquéd to a fantastic, cornflower blue canton, a color common to Civil War uniforms...

38 WHIMSICAL STARS, WITH 6-POINTED PROFILES, SIMILAR TO THE STAR OF DAVID, ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG OF THE CENTENNIAL ERA; A REMARKABLE SPECIMEN, ONE-OF-A-KIND AMONG KNOWN EXAMPLE...

HAND-PAINTED PATRIOTIC BANNER WITH THE SEAL OF THE STATE OF OREGON AND GREAT FOLK QUALITIES, 1861-1876: Swallowtail format, patriotic vertical banne...