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  26 STARS, MADE FOR THE 1844 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF HENRY CLAY & THEODORE FRELINGHUYSEN, WITH A BEAUTIFUL GREAT STAR CONFIGURATION AND THE VERY RARE PRESENCE OF A THIRD CANDIDATE, HENRY MARKLE, WHO WAS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR IN PENNSYLVANIA; ONE OF ONLY TWO KNOWN EXAMPLES IN THIS STYL

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): Approx. 31.5" x 37.75"
Flag Size (H x L): 20.5" x 26.75"
Description....:
26 STARS, MADE FOR THE 1844 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF HENRY CLAY & THEODORE FRELINGHUYSEN, WITH A BEAUTIFUL GREAT STAR CONFIGURATION AND THE VERY RARE PRESENCE OF A THIRD CANDIDATE, HENRY MARKLE, WHO WAS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR IN PENNSYLVANIA; ONE OF ONLY TWO KNOWN EXAMPLES IN THIS STYLE:

26 star American parade flag, printed on cotton, made to advertise the 1844 Whig Party presidential ticket, for the campaign of Henry Clay & Theodore Frelinghuysen. The stars are configured in a rare variation of what is known as the “Great Star” configuration, a star made out of stars, which has great folk qualities, but the less apparent beauty of this example lies in the extremely rare presence of a gubernatorial candidate, Joseph Markle, who was simultaneously running for Governor of the State of Pennsylvania. Overprinted with black pigment in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th white stripes, the text reads as follows:

HENRY CLAY. T. FRELINGHUYSEN AND JOSEPH MARKLE.

Note how the font was altered for Frelinghuysen, and that Theodore was abbreviated, so that his name could be successfully inserted within the available space.

Very few presidential campaign flags exist that include a third candidate. Of the 1,501 representations of political textiles documented on the 558 pages in Threads of History, by Herbert Ridgeway Collins (Smithsonian Press, 1978), only four such flags are shown. Among these is the Democratic Party mate to this flag, which advertises the campaign of James Polk & George Dallas, with the name of Francis Shunk, who was running against Markle. While the Polk/Dallas/Shunk flag is pictured by Collins, the Clay/Frelinghuysen/Markle flag is not and remains undocumented in any text. I am aware of only two known examples of this exact flag, the other of which I was privileged to have previously bought and sold.

Among collectors, the Great Star configuration is the most coveted of all 19th century geometric patterns. It probably came about shortly after the War of 1812, when Congressman Peter Wendover of New York, requested that Captain Samuel Reid, a War of 1812 naval hero, create a new design that would become the third official format of the Stars & Stripes. A recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Reid became harbor master of New York following the war. During his lifetime, he created many innovations in signal use, including a system that could actually send messages from New York to New Orleans by sea in just two hours.

Use as a Naval signal had been the primary reason for the initial creation of an American national flag in 1777, but since there was no official star design, the appearance of our flag varied greatly. Reid’s primary concern centered on both consistency and ease of recognition. His hope was as more and more states joined the Union and more and more stars were added to the flag, that it would remain easily identified on the open seas. In 1818, Reid suggested to Congress that the number of stripes permanently return to 13 (reduced from 15) and that the stars be grouped into the shape of one large star.

Reid’s proposal would have kept the star constellation in roughly the same format, in a pattern that could be quickly identified as the number of states grew. His concept for the stripes was ultimately accepted, but his advice on the star pattern was rejected by President James Monroe, due to the increased cost of arranging the stars in what would become known as the “Great Star”, “Great Flower”, or “Great Luminary” pattern. Monroe probably didn’t wish to impose this cost on either the government or civilians, so he suggested a simple pattern of justified rows. Never-the-less, the Great Star was produced by anyone willing to make it and its rarity today, along with its beauty, has driven the desirability of American flags with this configuration.

In this particular example, note how the Great Star is slightly canted to the 1:00 position. Also note how the stars appear in three different sizes. The design consists of a large center star, with a smaller star between each arm in the form of a pentagon, and a perimeter of stars in a third, slightly smaller size. The presence of stars in different sizes on any flag is highly desired and it lends even more impact to this already dynamic pattern.

Michigan became the 26th state to join the Union on January 26th, 1837. The 26 star flag became official on July 3rd of that year and remained so until July 4th, 1845, following the addition of the 27th state. The earliest known parade flags have either 26 or 13 stars, the latter made during this same general time frame with patriotic respect for our colonial past. 26 is a rare star count and only a small number of 26 star flags are known to exist. Most printed examples have political advertising for the presidential campaign of William Henry Harrison (1840), Henry Clay or James Polk (1844).

Political campaign flags are among the most valuable of all Stars & Stripes. When this fact is added to the presence of the third candidate, the dynamic Great Star pattern with three sizes of stars, and the very early date among known examples, the result is an excellent example.

The 1844 Election with Brief Biographical Information on Clay and Frelinghuysen:

It is interesting to note that the 1844 election was the first in which an incumbent president, John Tyler, sought nomination and didn’t get it, which made Polk the Democrat’s dark horse nominee. It is also interesting that Joseph Smith, who founded the Mormon Church in 1847, ran on an independent ticket as a third candidate. No flags or textiles are known to exist from the Smith campaign.

Henry Clay was born in Virginia on April 12th, 1777, about two months before the Stars & Stripes was adopted as the American national flag (June 14th). He studied law at Richmond and moved to Kentucky to practice. Clay became a U.S. Senator in 1806, during the period in which we had just 17 states. He was just 29 years old at the time and a special exception was made because he was not yet 30 years old, the minimum age required for election to the Senate by Constitutional law. This was the beginning of a nearly uninterrupted 46-year term in the House and Senate, where he served as both Speaker and Chairman, respectively. Clay also served as Secretary of State for John Quincy Adams. He ran unsuccessfully for the presidency three times, first as a Democratic Republican in 1824, then as a National Republican in 1832, and finally as a Whig in 1844. After the last campaign he returned to the Senate, where he served until his death in 1852.

Clay’s presidential campaign focused on the creation of a national currency, promotion of agriculture, and protection of American industry through such devices as protective tariffs. The focus was intended to further the advancement of America into the industrial age and limit reliance on foreign goods. As it turned out, this issue was not as important to Americans as westward expansion, which was the platform of the successful presidential candidate, James Polk.

Theodore Frelinghuysen was born in Franklin, NJ in 1787. Before he ran for vice president, he was an attorney, then a U.S. Senator serving New Jersey, then Mayor of Newark, then Chancellor of New York University. In 1850 he became President of Rutgers College, and remained in that position until his death in 1862. His grandson was Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. There has been a Frelinghuysen in Congress almost continuously since 1779.

Henry Markle served as a captain of the Light Dragoons under General William Henry Harrison during the War of 1812. Following the War he became Major General of the Pennsylvania State Militia for Westmoreland and Fayette counties (greater Pittsburgh). He owned several businesses with hands in paper manufacture, flour, farming, and store-keeping. A supporter of Thomas Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and John Quincy Adams, he voted for Andrew Jackson in his first term, but not his second, due to his position on tariffs and the 1832 presidential run of Henry Clay, of whom Markle became an active supporter. Always a Whig, Markle got behind his former General when Harrison ran in 1836, then won in 1840. Markle ran for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1844 on the Whig ticket with Henry Clay, but likewise lost to the Democrats.

Mounting: The flag has been hand-stitched to 100% cotton, black in color, that has been 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 mount was then placed in a black painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding. Spacers keep the textile away from the glazing, which is U.V. protective glass.

Condition: There is significant oxidation of the white stars and the white stripes below the canton, accompanied by minor staining. There is minor to moderate staining elsewhere throughout in the red and blue pigments, accompanied by moderate fading. There is significant fading of the black pigment. There are a couple of tiny holes in the 4th white stripe adjacent to the hoist end, and in the 1st red stripe near the fly end, and in the 3rd and last red stripes at the fly end. Many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age and history of use and the great rarity of the flag warrants practically any condition.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type: Parade flag
Star Count: 26
Earliest Date of Origin: 1844
Latest Date of Origin: 1844
State/Affiliation: Kentucky
War Association: 1777-1860 Pre-Civil War
Price: SOLD
 

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