39-Star American Flag, Hand-cut and Sewn, Antique "Unofficial" Flag, circa 1889

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...

42 HAND-SEWN STARS ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH A TWO-TONE, DUSTY BLUE CANTON, REFLECTS THE ADDITION OF WASHINGTON STATE, MONTANA, AND THE DAKOTAS, NEVER AN OFFICIAL STAR COUNT, ...

Antique American Flag With 36 Stars On A Cornflower Blue Canton, Civil War Era, 1864-1867, Reflects The Addition Of Nevada As The 36th State; A Great Folk Exaple With Haphazard Rows Of Starfish-like Stars: 36 star American national flag of the Civil War era with outstanding collector traits. Haphazard rows of fat, starfish-shaped stars fill most of the confines of a brilliant, cornflower blue canton. Note the crude piecing of the thirteen, red and white stripes, joined in an ill-planned manner that results in great variation in width, as well as general irregularity. The 4th red stripe actually falls slightly below the canton, and the height of each does not line up with the corresponding stripe on the reverse. This can clearly be seen at the fly end, which is is turned back and bound to repair obvious extended use in an outdoor environment. Clearly the maker lacked experience in seam work. Lining up the necessary components, so that they could be viewed on both sides, presented a challenge they may have not previously faced. This is also evident in the sewing of the stars, which do not line up on the obverse and reverse sides, as they typically would in a flag sewn by an experienced flag-maker. That said, this is just this kind of homemade charm that fuels interest in early American flags...

19th Century American 42 Star Flag, circa 1889, printed on linen period flag in the "Dancing Star" pattern. This was never an official U.S. flag sanctioned b y congress, but was made...

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...

13 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH A MEDALLION CONFIGURATION OF HAND-SEWN STARS AND A BEAUTIFUL, ELONGATED PROFILE, MADE IN THE ERA OF THE 1876 CENTENNIAL OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE, I...

ENTIRELY HAND-SEWN, 32-FOOT, SHIP’S COMMISSION PENNANT OF THE 1845-1865 ERA, A HOMEMADE, COTTON EXAMPLE, WITH 13 STARS ON A CORNFLOWER BLUE CANTON, IN A BEAUTIFUL STATE OF PRESERVATION Commission pennants are the distinguishing mark of a commissioned U.S. Navy ship. A ship becomes commissioned when the pennant is hoisted. Flown during both times of peace and war, the only time it is not flown is if a flag officer or civilian official is aboard and replaces it with their own flag. Flown at the topmast, this would be the first thing one would see coming over the horizon and identified the vessel as a warship. 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...

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...

OUTSTANDING, 13 STAR, ANTIQUE AMERICAN PRIVATE YACHT ENSIGN WITH GREAT FOLK QUALITIES THAT INCLUDE AN UNUSUALLY WIDE ANCHOR AND A DECIDEDLY LOPSIDED RING OF 13 STARS; MADE DURING THE 2ND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY; ITS DEVICE HAND-SEWN AND SINGLE-APPLIQUÉD Private yacht ensigns were approved American signals for maritime use that allowed pleasure boats to bypass customs. Though the legislation that approved them was adopted prior to 1850, almost all such flags that one will encounter were sewn by electric machine and made during the 20th century. The unusual gems among surviving examples are those that are earlier and include hand-sewn elements. Even more rare are a select few with atypical graphics. Barely any fall into both of these categories at once. Take note of the anchor on this particular flag, wide a long horizontal crossbar (stock) that contributes to uncommonly wide stance. Set within a ring of stars that is decidedly lopsided, the result is as bold as it is endearingly whimsical—two of the best qualities in American folk art, a category in which this particular example can be filed. While I have owned 13 star private yacht flags that have displayed star and canted anchor devices that were somewhat larger and/or bolder than typical, I cannot recall any that were so graphically intriguing as this one. Brief History of Private Yacht Ensigns: The medallion configuration, 13-star, 13-stripe flag, with a canted center anchor was entered into official use in 1848, following an act of Congress, that made it the official signal for U.S. pleasure sailing vessels. The need for such a flag arose with the popularity of boating as a pastime for well-to-do Americans, and as a competitive sport, in addition to its longstanding utilitarian role as a vehicle of trade. In early America, all boats were subject to customs searches at every port. Without modern income tax, the federal government derived its revenues mostly from tariffs, so an accounting of foreign goods on ships was a critical venture. As yachting for pleasure became more prevalent, however, more and more time was spent searching boats that had no such inventory, wasting time for both customs officials and wealthy ship owners. John Cox Stevens, a former president of the Jockey Club and future founder of the Union League Club, became the New York Yacht Club’s Commodore upon its founding in 1845. In 1847 he approached the secretary of the treasury and suggested that something be done to streamline the customs process for non-trade vessels. In 1848, legislation passed Congress requiring registration of these boats, which could then fly the “American Yachting Signal” to bypass customs. This remained on the books until the 1980’s, when the 1848 legislation was revoked, but the use of flags in this design for decorative function continues to this day. 13 star flags have been flown throughout our nation’s history for a variety of purposes. In addition to their use on private yachts, they were hoisted at patriotic events, including Lafayette’s final visit in 1824-25, the celebration of the nation’s centennial in 1876, and the sesquicentennial in 1926. They were displayed during the Civil War, to reference past struggles for American liberty and victory over oppression, and were used by 19th century politicians while campaigning for the same reason. The U.S. Navy used the 13 star count on small boats until 1916, because it was easier to discern fewer stars at a distance on a small flag. Commercial flag-makers mirrored this practice and some private ships flew 13 star flags during the same period as the Navy. Construction: The stars and anchor are made of cotton, hand-sewn, and single-appliquéd. This means that they were applied to one side of the canton, then the blue fabric was cut from behind each star, folded over, and under-hemmed, so that one star could be viewed on both sides of the flag. I always find single-appliquéd stars more interesting, not only because they are evidence of a more difficult level of seam-work and stitching, but also because they are more visually intriguing. The two visible rows of hand-stitching emphasize their hand-sewn construction. For these reasons, single-appliquéd stars often appeal to connoisseurs of early American textiles...

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...