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  13 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH A 3-2-3-2-3 CONFIGURATION OF STARS; A SMALL-SCALE EXAMPLE, MADE CIRCA 1895-1926

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): Approx. 41.5" x 59"
Flag Size (H x L): 29.5" x 46.75"
Description....:
13 star antique American flag of the small-scale type made during the last decade of the 19th century through the beginning of the 20th. The canton and stripes are made of wool bunting that has been pieced with lineal, machine stitching. The stars are made of cotton and are double-appliquéd (applied to both sides) with a zigzag machine stitch. These are arranged in staggered rows of 3-2-3-2-3. There is a narrow, twill cotton binding along the hoist, folded over at the top and bottom for added strength, prior to installation, with two white metal grommets.

Because there was no official star design for the American flag until 1912, the star pattern was left to the whims of the maker. The 3-2-3-2-3 design became the most often seen 13 star configuration during the latter 19th century and remained so throughout the first quarter of the 20th. In most cases this can be simultaneously described as a diamond of stars, with a star in each corner and a star in the very center. It is likewise of interest to note that it can also be interpreted as a combination of the crosses of St. Andrew and St. George, which may reflect a link between this arrangement and the British Union Jack.

The 3-2-3-2-3 pattern is often attributed--erroneously in my opinion--to New Jersey Senator Francis Hopkinson, a member of the Second Continental Congress and of the Marine Committee, and signer of the Declaration of Independence, who is generally credited with having played the most significant role in the design of the American national flag prior to its June 14th, 1777 adoption. As an amateur artist and an enthusiast in heraldry, Hopkinson designed various official colonial American devices, including the Great Seal of the Treasury and various pieces of colonial currency. He also submitted designs for the Great Seal of the United States. Although Hopkinson’s original sketches for the American flag do not survive, his depictions of 13 star arrangements on other devices do not reflect the 3-2-3-2-3 configuration falsely attributed to him. This seems to have developed from someone’s unsuccessful attempt to make sense of the designs he presented on both drafts submitted to Congress for the Great Seal, which were decidedly random and most certainly intentional in this regard.

Why 13 Stars? As the number of stars grew with the addition of new states, it became more and more difficult to fit their full complement on a small flag. The stars would, by necessity, have to become smaller, which made it more and more difficult to view them from a distance as individual objects. The fear was that too many stars would become one white mass and distort the ability to identify American ships on the open seas.

The U.S. Navy used 13 stars on its small-scale flags for precisely this reason. This was, of course, the original number of stars on the first American national flag, by way of the First Flag Act of 1777, and equal to the number of original colonies that became states.

For all practical purposes, commercial flag-makers simply didn't produce flags with pieced-and-sewn construction that were 3 to 4 feet in length before the 1890's. There are exceptions to this rule, but until this time, the smallest sewn flags were generally around 6 feet on the fly. Lengths of 8 feet long and larger were common. Their primary use long having been more utilitarian than decorative, to serve well as signals, flags needed to be large to be effective. Pre-1890, even those sewn flags made for general patriotic display were typically way larger than their modern counterparts. While most early use of flags with sewn construction was to mark ships and government buildings, eventually spreading to local militia and to formal U.S. & state military companies, private use grew with the passage of time, raising the need for long-term use flags of a more manageable scale.

Beginning around 1890, commercial flag-makers began to produce small flags for the first time in large quantities, namely with dimensions of 2 x 3 feet or 2.5 x 4 feet, like this example. Applying the same logic as the U.S. Navy, they chose the 13 star count rather than the full complement of stars for sake of ease and visibility. Because any flag that has previously been official remains so according to the flag acts of Congress, all 13 star, 13 stripe flags remain official national flags of the United States of America.

The 13 star count has been used throughout our nation's history for a variety of purposes. In addition to being flown by the Navy, 13 star flags were hoisted at patriotic events, including Lafayette’s visit in 1824-25, the celebration of the nation's centennial in 1876, and the sesquicentennial in 1926, as well as for annual celebrations of Independence Day. They were displayed during the Civil War, to reference past struggles for American liberty, and were used by 19th century politicians in political campaigning. The use of yachting ensigns with a wreath of 13 stars surrounding a fouled anchor, which allowed pleasure boats to bypass customs between 1848 and 1980, persists today without an official purpose.

Mounting: The flag was mounted and framed within our own conservation department, which is led by expert staff. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and have framed thousands of examples.

The flag has been hand-stitched to 100% silk organza for support throughout. It was then hand-stitched to a background of 100% cotton twill, black in color. The black fabric has been washed and treated for color fastness. The cove-shaped molding has a textured surface, a rope style inner lip, and a very dark brown surface, nearly black, with reddish highlights and undertones. To this a gilt molding was added as a liner. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic (Plexiglas). Feel free to inquire for more details.

Condition: There is very minor mothing in the striped field, in limited areas. There is minor to modest staining at the fly end of the first and last red stripes, and there are two areas of modest soiling in the 2nd and 3rd white stripes, accompanied by a couple small spots of darker staining, also in the 3rd white stripe. There is some fabric breakdown, with minor loss, in the top, hoist and fly end corners. Many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age and history of use.
Collector Level: Beginners and Holiday Gift Giving
Flag Type: Sewn flag
Star Count: 13
Earliest Date of Origin: 1895
Latest Date of Origin: 1926
State/Affiliation: 13 Original Colonies
War Association:
Price: SOLD
 

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