| 13 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH A 3-2-3-2-3 CONFIGURATION OF STARS ON AN ATTRACTIVE, INDIGO BLUE CANTON; A SMALL-SCALE EXAMPLE OF THE 1895-1926 ERA, INSCRIBED WITH THE SURNAME “SPENGE,” LIKELY PRODUCED BY A MAKER WITH LINKS TO THE U.S. ARMY’S 19th CORPS |
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| Web ID: | 13j-1725 |
| Available: | In Stock |
| Frame Size (H x L): | Approx. 37" x 50" |
| Flag Size (H x L): | 25.25" x 38" |
| 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, most likely between approximately 1895 and the mid-1920’s. These are arranged in staggered rows of 3-2-3-2-3. Because there was no official star design for the American flag until 1912, their configuration was left to the whims of the maker. The 3-2-3-2-3 pattern became the design most often seen on 13 star flags produced during the latter 19th century, and remained so throughout the first quarter of the 20th. In most cases this arrangement can also be viewed as a diamond of stars, with a star in each corner and a star in the very center, and may also be interpreted as a superimposed display of the crosses of St. Andrew and St. George, which, if intentional, 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 stars on the two sketches he submitted to Congress as potential drafts for the Great Seal of the United States, the configurations of which were decidedly random and appear very much 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, like this example, or 2.5 x 4 feet. 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. The canton and stripes of the flag 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. There is a sailcloth canvas binding along the hoist with 2 brass grommets, along which a black-inked stencil was applied to indicate the flag’s size as 2 x 3 feet. A hand-inscribed name on the obverse (front) of the binding appears to read “Spenge.” This Germanic surname is likely that of a former owner, as it was common to mark flags in this fashion, during the 18th – early 20th centuries. In this period of American history, flag makers didn’t commonly sign their work. There are a few exceptions, but even among the few makers known to do so, signatures and makers’ labels seem to have been applied with great irregularity. One interesting feature that this flag does have, which may some day be attributable to a particular manufacturer, is the bold symbol employed in the stenciled markings, substituted in place of a “X.” While easily mis-identified as a Maltese Cross by the casual observer (I too was guilty of this for many years), the idiosyncrasies of symbols are extremely important in heraldry, at least to their designers, if not always to the various artists who reproduced the respective images on paintings, banners, printed material, and other media. Here the form is almost certainly purposeful, displaying a fan-leafed cross with an octagonal center. Likely this was used to reflect some aspect of the firm. During the period in which this flag was made, Civil War veterans comprised a very significant part of the market for flags and patriotic material. Veterans groups were in full swing in terms of their membership and popularity, as were the hundreds of fraternal groups that existed, moreover populated by veterans. This particular symbol was that of the U.S. Army’s 19th Corps. Organized on December 14th, 1862, the 19th Corps was assigned to Genl. Nathaniel P. Banks, Commander of the U.S. Army’s Dept. of the Gulf, and was comprised of units from many states. Spending much of its time and resources in attempt to command control of the Mississippi in the Deep South, particularly in Louisiana and Mississippi, though also participating in action in the Shenandoah Valley, it bore the distinction of being the first Federal Unit to employ a large complement of colored troops. While similar badges in use in America instead employ a circular center, such as the United Confederate Veterans’ Southern Cross of Honor, and the Women’s Relief Corps, which served as the women’s auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic (the primary organization of Union Army veterans), the symbol on the flag’s hoist seen here is distinctly octagonal. Other similar designs include the badge of the U.S. Army’s 5th Corps, the fans of which instead taper all the way to the center, and the Portuguese cross, a Christian cross variant that might denote the Portuguese heritage of one of the many sailors who settled along the New England coast, the fans of which terminate in a rectangular, perpendicular cross, also clearly not what is displayed here. Mounting: For 25 years we have maintained our own textile conservation department, led by a master’s degree level graduate from one of the nation’s top university programs. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and related textiles and have preserved 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, that was washed and treated for colorfastness. The black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed molding is Italian. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic (Plexiglas). Feel free to inquire for more details. Condition: There is minor soiling along the hoist binding, accompanied by extremely minor soiling in the last white stripe. There is a scattering of tiny losses in limited areas throughout. The overall condition is excellent among wool flags of the period. |
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| Video: | |
| 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: | 1898 Spanish American War |
| Price: | Please call (717) 676-0545 or (717) 502-1281 |
| E-mail: | info@jeffbridgman.com |
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