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  PAIR OF EXCEPTIONALLY GRAPHIC AND COLORFUL KERCHIEFS FROM THE 1904 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT VS. ALAN PARKER

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): Each is approximately 35.5" x 33"
Flag Size (H x L): Each is approximately 24.5" x 22.5"
Description....:
PAIR OF EXCEPTIONALLY GRAPHIC AND COLORFUL KERCHIEFS FROM THE 1904 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT VS. ALAN PARKER:

Some political bandanas were produced by one maker, in the same style, for two opposing candidates. In this case a similar, yet different example, each just as colorful and embellished as the next, was made for each of the two major political parties' campaigns. Printed on cotton, this complimentary pair was produced for the 1904 election when Republicans Theodore Roosevelt & Charles Warren Fairbanks (R) ran and won against Democrats Alan Brooks Parker & Henry Gassaway Davis. It could be successfully argued that there are not two more striking, colorful, or more patriotically whimsical kerchiefs in all of political textile collecting. There are other great examples and there are bandanas that are much more rare, but from a purely graphics standpoint, this pair is short-listed among the very best of all those known to exist.

An example of each kerchief is documented in "Threads of History: Americana Recorded on Cloth, 1775 to the Present", by Herbert Ridgeway Collins, Smithsonian Press, 1979, as items 863 on pg. 346 and 872 on pg. 349, respectively. Collins formerly served as Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian Institution and his text serves as the "Bible" of American political textiles.

Each kerchief is a jugate portrait variety, meaning the both candidates are pictured. In the Roosevelt-Fairbanks example, images of the two men appear in oval medallions, flanked by billowing flags, commissioning pennants, and a patriotic shield, on top of which is perched a large, spread-winged eagle. These appear over a background of falling stars. The text reads as follows: "For President Theodore Roosevelt 1904; For Vice President Charles Warren Fairbanks 1904". Under this is the campaign slogan: "Protection to American Industries", which had been used most prolifically on campaign textiles by Benjamin Harrison in 1888. The pro-American theme, however, aimed at limiting both trade and the number of new immigrant workers, carried itself through several elections. It is interesting to note that it is hardly a novel idea, having been continually revisited from the mid-19th century through the present.

In the Parker-Davis example, portraits appear in the same oval medallions between two draped American flags that are drawn and tied like curtains on a stage. Above this is a huge, upside-down star, the upright arms of which have unusually exaggerated length. Falling between and below the portraits are more stars and streamers. There is a patriotic shield at the top of each oval, below which are the words: "For President Alan B. Parker 1904; For Vice President Henry G. Davis 1904". Below is a large, fork-tailed sash, on which the following slogan appears: "Good Government for the People".

Some facts about the Candidates and the 1904 Election:

Charles Fairbanks was, in some ways, as different from Roosevelt as one could possibly get. Reserved, soft-spoken, and a hard-line conservative, the Ohio-born Illinois senator was nicknamed the "Indiana Icicle". Born in a Log Cabin, Fairbanks would rise to become an attorney and eventually a railroad financier, serving as a chief counsel for mogul Jay Gould. He was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1896.

Fairbanks was as good a balance as any, geographically, politically, and personally, to the progressive and outspoken, Rough-Rider from New York. Roosevelt appealed to members of both political parties, Fairbanks leveled out the ticket for hard-line, right-wing Republicans, and also solidified support in the growing and politically-important mid west. Only the firmly Democratic south voted firmly in opposition.

Democrat opponent, Alton B. Parker, was born in Cortland, New York. He was an attorney who practiced law in Kingston, New York before serving as a justice of the Supreme Court of New York from 1885 to 1889, then as Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1898 to 1904. In 1900 he ran for vice president under William Jennings Bryan, who lost to the William McKinley and Roosevelt ticket.

Parker's running mate, Henry G. Davis, became a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1865, just after its separation from Virginia (in 1864). He became a state senator in 1869 and in 1871 was elected to the United States Senate, serving two terms, with his service ending in 1883. At age 80, Davis was (and is) the oldest person to be nominated for President or Vice President on a major party ticket.

Parker was a conservative among his party members and his nomination of Davis would help carry the Southern vote, but the two men were no match for the supreme popularity of Roosevelt.

Roosevelt beat Parker, by 56.4% vs. 37.6% in the popular vote, and by 336 vs. 140 in the Electoral College.

Mounting: The two kerchiefs have each been hand-stitched to 100% cotton, black in color. The black fabric was washed to reduce 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. The mounts were then placed black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian moldings. Spacers keep the textiles away from the glass, which is U.V. protective.

Condition: Each is excellent. There is a tiny hole in Roosevelt's portrait. A tiny patch was placed behind it for masking purposes.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type:
Star Count:
Earliest Date of Origin: 1904
Latest Date of Origin: 1904
State/Affiliation:
War Association:
Price: SOLD
 

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