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  EXTREMELY RARE FRANCO-ANGLO-AMERICAN PARADE FLAG, WWI, PRO-ALLIED FORCES

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 20.25" x 25.25"
Flag Size (H x L): 11.75" x 17"
Description....:
EXTREMELY RARE FRANCO-ANGLO-AMERICAN PARADE FLAG, WWI, PRO-ALLIED FORCES:

Noted American flag collector, Boleslaw Mastai, referred to this rare 48 star parade flag design as the "Franco-Anglo-American Flag". Made in support of the Allied Forces in WWI, only 12 or 13 of these flags are known to have surfaced, 9 or 10 of which were part of the Mastai collection.

Printed on silk, the design is extraordinarily beautiful. One of the Mastai examples is illustrated on page 237 of his landmark book, "The Stars and the Stripes", (Alfred A. Knopf , New York, 1973). He describes it as follows: "Here the three national flags have actually been fused instead of combined. Emphasis is, nonetheless, on the flag's American elements: the stars appear on a canton of French tri-color bands, and rows of small Union Jacks joined form the stripes."

The Mastai's held the most highly publicized collection of American flags in the country. Many of the flags and patriotic items they owned marked with a Mastai identification stamp, most often with red ink. Note that the Mastai stamp appears on this flag at the end of the last white stripe, in the bottom, fly end corner. While some observers cringe when they see this mark and consider it defacement, no flag collector could successfully argue that it decreases the value. Just the opposite is true, in fact. It significantly increases both interest and value.

Take note of the patent date below the canton that reads: "Pat'd Feb 26, 1918". The first one of these flags that I ever encountered was acquired in Canada. When considering French, British, and American influences in Canada, a good guess might be that these flags are of Canadian origin. The red patent date is commonly seen in British and Canadian parade flags, but seldom in their American counterparts, so British production for the American market is also a possibility.

Mounting: The gilded American molding dates to the period between 1830 and 1870, and therefore significantly pre-dates the flag. This is a sandwich mount between 100% cotton twill and U.V. protective acrylic. The black fabric was washed to remove excess dye. And acid-free agent was added to the wash to further set the dye and the fabric was heat-treated for the same purpose. A length of white silk was placed behind the flag, both for further protection and to strengthen it's color against the black background.

Condition: Excellent, with only the most minor staining. A 9.9 on a scale of 1-10.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type: Parade flag
Star Count: 48
Earliest Date of Origin: 1916
Latest Date of Origin: 1917
State/Affiliation: Arizona
War Association: WW 1
Price: SOLD
 

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