| 16 STAR “DISUNION” FLAG, WITH 13 STARS ON THE OBVERSE, MADE TO CONVEY AN ABOLITIONIST MESSAGE IN THE 8-YEAR TIME FRAME FOLLOWING THE ADDITION OF CALIFORNIA AS THE 31ST STATE, WHEN THERE WERE 16 FREE & 15 SLAVE STATES, REMOVING THE LATTER FROM THEIR TOTAL; THE COUNT OF 7 STRIPES REMOVES THE 6 SLAVE STATES FROM THE ORIGINAL 13 COLONIES; LIKELY PRODUCED IN SUPPORT OF THE 1856 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF THE FIRST REPUBLICAN NOMINEE JOHN FRÉMONT, WHO RAN ON AN ANTI-SLAVERY PLATFORM |
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| Web ID: | 16j-810 |
| Available: | In Stock |
| Frame Size (H x L): | Approx. 53.5" x 80" |
| Flag Size (H x L): | 41.25" x 66.5" |
| Description: | |
| 16 star variant of the American national flag, with a complement of 7 stripes and with the extraordinarily rare presence of a different star count on the obverse. Made to convey both an abolitionist message and to reference America’s achievement of its own freedom through independence, the flag was likely made around the time of the 1856 presidential campaign, when the issue of slavery came to a head at the polls. The flag’s 16 stars, curiously arranged in a random scatter on a royal blue canton, reflect a time when California was the most recent state to join the Union, 1850-1858. Thrust to statehood by the actions of President James Polk, explorer and future presidential candidate John Frémont, and the Gold Rush that followed, California became the nation’s 31st state and the 16th Free State among them, unbalancing the total of Free & Slave States tenuously maintained by the Missouri Compromise. The practice of making what American newspapers would call “Disunion flags,” with star and stripe counts altered to reflect political sentiment, appears to have begun as early as the mid-1840’s. With knowledge that the admittance of Florida and Texas would close the available geographic window from which additional Slave States could form, anxiety grew among Southerners for equal representation in Congress. Their fears became reality with California Statehood. Significant legislation and related legal decisions affecting the issue in the new decade included the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act (1850), the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), and the Dred Scott decision (1857). Though their intent was to repair the bleeding wound, these only added to the heat long generated by slavery. One could reasonably argue that the political discourse of the 1850’s yielded more ill will and anger both nationally, and in Washington, than at any other point in American history, before or since. In 1858, an infamous physical brawl took place on the floor of Congress over the proposed constitution of the Kansas Territory, the language of which would have legalized slavery. The Republican Party, formed in 1854, ran John Frémont as its first Presidential candidate in 1856, on an anti-slavery platform. As tempers flared during this tumultuous period, many hidden messages appeared in renditions of the Stars & Stripes. Examples survive believed to display both Northern & Southern sympathies. 15 and 16 star flags were reported by newspapers as having been displayed in support of either a Northern, abolitionist message, and/or of Frémont specifically. In addition to actual flags and editorial record, a rare political broadside, made for the 1856 presidential campaign, actually illustrates 16 star flag in opposition to Frémont, illustrating it as distinctly anti-Southern, flanked by the words “All North” and “No South,” while simultaneously ridiculing him with satirical slogans such as “Down with the Constitution,” and “Fremont, Free Love, Free Fight.” California was followed by Minnesota in 1858 and Oregon in 1859, taking the count to 17 and then 18 Free States. Though Abraham Lincoln, elected in 1860, urged the nation not to remove stars from the flag, because his goal was to keep the Union together, the concept of altering the flag in this manner, already having gained popularity, continued throughout the war itself and appears to have occasionally occurred thereafter. The 16 star flag that is the subject of this narrative goes beyond a simple removal of stars. With a complement of just 7 stripes, instead of the usual 13, it simultaneously removes the Slave States from among the original 13 colonies. Another of the flag’s unusual traits appears in its display of two different star counts on either side. More rare, in-and-of-itself, than the flag’s Sothern-exclusionary traits, this consists of 13 stars, also arranged in a random scatter, like those on the reverse. Though extremely scarce in surviving flags, most of which have some sort of intended star pattern, the very first American flag may have configured the stars in a similar fashion. Francis Hopkinson, Senator from New Jersey, chairman of the Middle Marine Committee (oversaw the U.S. Navy), and subsequent civilian member of the Philadelphia Navy Board, is thought by many to have been a key personality involved in our flag’s design. Though his original drawing, submitted to Congress, does not survive, other sketches that do, illustrated by Hopkinson, arrange the stars in this manner. 13 star flags have been made throughout American history from the beginning to the present, to reflect notions of liberty and independence, as was won by the 13 colonies. Although the concept of tying the Revolution to the struggle over slavery is academically logical one, and the existence of many 13 star flags, produced in the Civil War era, supports the hypothesis, I don’t recall having previously examined any other flag with 13 stars on one side and another low star count on the reverse, removing the Southern States. The stars of the flag, especially crude and folky, are made of cotton and are hand-sewn throughout. Just two of these were double-appliquéd in such a way that they line up with one-another—something that would almost always be the case in both commercially-produced and homemade flags, at least when the canton is comprised of just one length of fabric. As a result, in this instance, a significant amount of the stitching on each star is viewable on the other side. Though most of the stars were sewn with the same type of thread, and in the same style, a few employ a distinctly different type of hand-stitching, a small portion of it with different thread. Among the latter are one entire star and very small portions of others. On close inspection, it appears that the individual applying the stars was likely unskilled, flip-flopping back-and-forth occasionally, experimenting a bit. Because appliqué work is much more difficult than traditional piecework, this is not especially surprising. It may be that the very limited appliqué work executed with different thread, which appears to be consistent with that used to piece the stripes and hem the textile, could have been added for reinforcement or to complete missed segments. The canton of the flag is made of blue, plain weave cotton that appears to have been hand-dyed. Note its tiny size with respect to that of the corresponding stripes, as well as its vertical orientation. Both of these features add strong folk qualities to an already whimsical design. The canton was joined to the striped field in a rather crude fashion, almost certainly by the same person that appliquéd the stars, who seems to have been unfamiliar with how to sew flat fell seams. The red and white stripes are of similar fabric, though commercially dyed. These were pieced and joined to one-another with treadle-stitching. Both the fly and hoist ends were hemmed in the same manner, with the same thread as was used in the joining of the stripes. The top of the first stripe and the bottom of the last utilize selvedge edges. It is readily apparent that there were two makers, one of whom seems likely to have been a child. The making and sewing of stars was undoubtedly more fun than creating the striped field. Although treadle stitching is extremely scarce in pre-Civil War flags, the sewing machine was mass-marketed by Singer in 1855, other types were widely available, especially in urban areas, and 31 star flags (1850-1858) on rare occasion include treadle stitching. When present, logic suggests that because popularity and availability spread, because Singer’s involvement revolutionized private ownership, and because much of the use of 16 star flags took place around the time of Frémont’s 1856 campaign, the presence of treadle stitching points toward a likely date bracket of 1855-1858. It is of interest to note that one of the entities known to display flags with a number of stars less than the full count, occasionally with a message of “disunion,” was the U.S. Navy. The Navy employed low counts, particularly 13, because it was easier to discern a the stars as individual objects, on a smaller flag, at a distance, if there were fewer of them. A number of 16 star examples survive that appear to date to the 1850’s, likely to exclude the Slave States, perhaps because one of the duties of the Navy was to police the slave trade, which had been illegal in America since 1807. One such examples, in the 16 star count, bears a black-inked stencil from the Boston Navy Yard at Charlestown, Massachusetts. One of the reasons that antique American flags with 16 stars are of interest to collectors, in spite of the period of their manufacture, or the purpose thereof, is simply due to the rarity of examples of any kind in this star count. Tennessee became the 16th state on June 1st, 1796. It is of interest to note that while there were 16 states for a period of roughly 8 years, the 16-star count was never official. The number of stars had been officially increased from 13 to 15 in 1795, by way of the Second Flag Act, which added stars for Vermont and Kentucky and likewise increased the stripe count to the same number. The two states had entered in 1791 and 1792, respectively. It would be 23 more years before the flag would receive another official update from Congress. In 1818, by way of the Third Flag Act, the star count was officially increased from 15 to 20, to reflect the 5 additional states that had joined the Union by that time, and the stripe count was returned from 15 to 13, with the notion that they might soon become pinstripes with continued expansion. In spite of not having been an official star count, 16 star flags were produced in the 1796-1803 era, as evidenced by surviving illustrations and at least one actual flag. Among the holdings of the Stonington Historical Society, in Stonington, Connecticut, the “Stonington flag” is the only, surviving, 1796-1803 example presently known to exist with the proper compliment of 16 stripes. Increasing of the stripe count appears to have reflected popular conception of American flag design within the 1795-1818 time frame. Like the flag that is the subject of this narrative, other flags with 16 stars were sometimes made outside the 1796-1803 period when there were 16 states. These typically display 13 stripes, likely because later flag makers were simply unaware that, prior to 1818, the logic was to add a stripe with every star. With just one example period to when we had 16 states, huge (9 x 16 feet) and institutionally-owned, and with extremely few choices from which to select among identified 16 star flags made at later points in the 19th century, this incredibly graphic example, with the rare presence of 13 stars on the obverse, 7 stripes, and an abolitionist message, plus its tiny canton of randomly placed stars, wonderful colors, great folk qualities, and far more manageable scale for display, represents a great opportunity for any collector. Important Notes Regarding Flag Position: I elected to present this flag is a backwards-facing manner for a couple of reasons. Wishing to display the 16-star side, this was the best option. A vertical display, though possible, was not nearly as visually compelling. Because, in the 19th century, there was no backwards or forwards with regard to display of the American flag, this was perfectly acceptable at the time. The concept didn’t really enter the American consciousness until the late 19th / early 20th century, when flag ethics began to emerge. Though most of the aspects of the flag, concerning the star configuration, number of points on the stars, proportions, placement of the canton against the striped field, and shades of red and blue, were formalized by an Executive Order of President William Howard Taft in 1912, guidelines of proper use and display were not formally adopted in America until the flag code of 1923. Mounting: For 25 years we have maintained a specialized department for this purpose. Our lead conservator holds a master's degree in textile conservation 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 throughout for support (flat-lined). The black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed molding, with its wide, serpentine profile, is Italian. The background is 100% cotton twill, black in color, that has been washed and treated for colorfastness. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic (Plexiglas). Condition: There are minor to modest tears and losses in the canton, accompanied by a moderate tear extending from the inside of the hem laterally through about ¼ of the canton’s width. There is minor fraying with associated loss at the top and bottom of the fly end, from obvious use. There is minor to modest staining in limited areas throughout, accompanied by moderate to modest of the same in and around the canton and the stars. Many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age and history of use. |
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| Video: | |
| Collector Level: | Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything |
| Flag Type: | Sewn flag |
| Star Count: | 16 |
| Earliest Date of Origin: | 1855 |
| Latest Date of Origin: | 1858 |
| State/Affiliation: | Tennessee |
| War Association: | 1777-1860 Pre-Civil War |
| Price: | Please call (717) 676-0545 or (717) 502-1281 |
| E-mail: | info@jeffbridgman.com |
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