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  EXTREMELY RARE PARADE FLAG MADE FOR THE 1868 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF HORATIO SEYMOUR AND FRANCIS PRESTON BLAIR, JR., MEDALLION STAR CONFIGURATION ON A CORNFLOWER BLUE CANTON, UNUSUAL, DARKER BLUE OVERPRINT, THE ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE IN THIS STYLE

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 20" x 24.75"
Flag Size (H x L): 11.75" x 16.25"
Description....:
EXTREMELY RARE PARADE FLAG MADE FOR THE 1868 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF HORATIO SEYMOUR AND FRANCIS PRESTON BLAIR, JR., MEDALLION STAR CONFIGURATION ON A CORNFLOWER BLUE CANTON, UNUSUAL, DARKER BLUE OVERPRINT, THE ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE IN THIS STYLE:

American national parade flag, printed on coarse, glazed cotton and made to advertise the 1868 presidential campaign of two-time New York Governor and Democratic Party leader, Horatio Seymour and his vice presidential nominee, Francis Preston Blair, Jr..

The flag is the only known example in this particular, undocumented style and presents some unusual and interesting features. The flag's 34 stars are arranged in a bold double-wreath configuration on a canton with beautiful, cornflower blue coloration. Note that there is a large center star, canted in the 11:00 position, and that the remaining smaller stars vary in their vertical orientation throughout the design.

Note that 34 is three stars short of the official star count in 1868. This is sometimes the case with political campaign flags, which often have a number of stars that is one or more behind what was official in the election year. Sometimes campaigning may have started before the election year, but that wasn't the case here. Sometimes the star count probably wasn't that important to the person ordering these small, printed flags. The purchaser might have simply liked the star design on some leftover flags that the flag-maker had in stock and gotten a price break when he bought out-of-date goods. In other cases, however, the star count might have been chosen to send a particular message. Since most Civil War period flags had 34 stars (1861-63), the flag might have been selected to promote the military service of Vice Presidential Candidate Francis Preston Blair, Jr., a celebrated, Civil War, Union Army Major General from Kentucky. Because the Democratic Party was so unpopular at the time, having generally promoted slavery and lost their cause in the outcome of the war, the inclusion of a Union Army officer on the ticket, especially from a very active Border State like Kentucky, was certainly a good tactical move from an organization interested in garnering both Northern and Southern votes. 34 stars flags could then be used as part of the promotion of a Civil War general on the ballot. While not exactly a common occurrence, suffice to say that I have seen 34 star flags used a few times under the same circumstance, where Civil War officers were running in post-Civil War political campaigns. For these reasons, the use of the prefix "Gen." in front of Blair's name and the use of a Civil War star count should not be lost on the observer.

Another unusual trait lies in the fact that the canton and the text appear in different shades of blue. I have only seen this trait on one other campaign flag, which survives from the 1876 campaign of Hayes & Wheeler. One of two methods is found on almost all 19th century examples. Either the flag was printed first in blue and red, then advertising text was overprinted in black ink, or the text was made in blue instead and printed contemporaneously with the blue canton. But in this instance, as well as with the Hayes-Wheeler example, blue ink of a different color was used to overprint the names of the candidates. Here it reads:

For President
Horatio Seymour
For Vice-President
Gen. Francis P. Blair

Facts about Seymour & the 1868 Election: Seymour had been Abraham Lincoln's most prominent Democratic Party opponent during the closing years of the Civil War, when he was serving his second, non-consecutive term as governor of New York, the most populous state in the Union. Due to the unpopularity of the Democrats in post-war America, there were few issues on which they could mount a platform to regain the Whitehouse. Among these was the devaluing of the dollar that had taken place under Lincoln, while the federal government printed paper money to fund the war. This led to splinter parties in the Democratic faction, such as the "Greenbacks", who initially put forth their own candidate, then abandoned him to support Seymour.

Several men sought the Democratic nomination in 1868. None was a clearly agreed upon, so a compromise was made to select Seymour, who was, at the time, serving as Chairman of the Democratic National Convention. Seymour lost the election to General Ulysses S. Grant in a landslide for several reasons, mostly because Grant was the hero of Gettysburg and brought an end to the Civil War as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Army. Grant also did well in the South, because black men, who had obtained freedom, could now vote.

Mounting: The gilded molding dates to the period between 1840 and 1860 and is an excellent example with beautiful patina. The flag has been hand-stitched to 100% cotton twill, black in color. The black fabric was washed to remove excess dye. An acid-free agent was added to the wash to further set the dye and the fabric was heat-treated for the same purpose. Spacers keep the textile away from the glass, which is u.v. protective.

Condition: There is minor fading in the canton, but there are no further condition issues worth mention. The flag was evidently sewn into a quilt at one time, as traces can be seen of the treadle-stitching that was removed from the body of the flag, but this only adds interest and does not detract from desirability or value.
Collector Level: Flags for the truest Patriots. My best offerings
Flag Type: Parade flag
Star Count: 34
Earliest Date of Origin: 1868
Latest Date of Origin: 1868
State/Affiliation: New York
War Association: 1866-1890 Indian Wars
Price: SOLD
 

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