American 38 Star Parade Flag, circa 1877

38 STAR AMERICAN PARADE FLAG WITH A RARE AND BEAUTIFUL VARIATION OF THE “GREAT STAR” OR “GREAT FLOWER” PATTERN, 4 LARGE CORNER STARS, & AN ODD OUTLIER, 1876-1889, COLORADO STATEHOOD,...

This is an antique 36-star American flag, as striking as it is scarce. The flag has a glazed cotton construction, with a blue canton printed with 36 white stars. The stars are arrang...

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...

This is a beautifully colored 38-star American parade flag, flown at a public reception for Ulysses S. Grant in October of 1880. This printed flag features a rare, triple medallion s...

Offered is a spectacular 34-star American flag, produced during the Civil War. This flag features 34 printed white stars, on a blue wool blend canton. The stars are arranged in whims...

This is an uncommon 42-star flag, commemorating the addition of the state of Washington to the Union. The flag dates to 1889-1890, and is printed on cotton. The canton consists of s...

13 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN PARADE FLAG, WITH A 3-2-3-2-3 CONFIGURATION OF STARS, AN EXTREMELY SCARCE AND UNUSUALLY LARGE VARIETY, MADE circa 1876-1899 13 star American national parade...

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...

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...

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...