| 32 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG OF A TYPE KNOWN TO HAVE LIKELY SEEN MILITARY USE, REFLECTS THE ADDITION OF MINNESOTA TO THE UNION IN 1858, AN EXTREMELY RARE FLAG, ACCURATE FOR JUST 9 MONTHS AND OFFICIAL FOR ONLY ONE YEAR |
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| Web ID: | 32j-814 |
| Available: | In Stock |
| Frame Size (H x L): | Approx. 36" x 55.5" |
| Flag Size (H x L): | 24.5" x 43.75" |
| Description: | |
| 32 star American flags are rare. This is largely because they were only official for one year (1858-59), but it is also a result of the fact that this time frame occurred prior to the Civil War, in an era when use of the Stars & Stripes on land in the private sector was very slim. Flags were becoming popular in political campaigning, but their use had yet to become widespread in the display of general patriotism. Minnesota joined the Union as the 32nd state on May 11th, 1858. Following the Flag Act of 1818, stars were officially added to the American flag on the 4th of July following a state's addition, for any states that entered during the previous “flag year.” The 32 star flag thus became official on Independence Day, 1858, and remained so until July 3rd, 1859. In terms of actual production of the Stars & Stripes, however, both commercially and otherwise, no one seems to have cared what was official, preferring instead what made practical sense. Because Oregon joined the Union on February 14th, 1859, however, production of 32 star flags probably ceased well before July. For this reason the 32-star count likely saw use for just 9 months, making it one of the shortest lived flags in American history. The union of this particular flag is printed or press-dyed on a blended wool and cotton fabric. The striped field was done in a different fashion. Upon close inspection, one can see that the weft is red where the stripes are red, but the warp in these areas is white. At a slight distance, the fabric bears some resemblance to oxford cotton shirts, with white thread going in one direction and colored thread in the other, so that the overall effect has a slightly washed appearance. The royal blue of the canton appears more saturated because this has a solid application of pigment. The canton of the flag was hand-stitched to the striped field. The fly end is likely to have once been turned back and hemmed with hand-stitching. There is a hand-sewn binding along the hoist, made of heavy cotton twill, with hand-sewn, whip-stitched grommets at either end. Some flags, especially those made for naval use during the mid-19th century, had extra fabric tucked back under the binding. This probably served two basic purposes. One, it reinforced the seam, and two, it perhaps made additional fabric of the same type available for repair, should that be required. While this is not a flag that would have likely been produced for maritime use, the construction characteristic was included here all the same. There is a heavy, twill cotton binding along the hoist, with 3 button hole, whip-stitched grommets. Prior to the 1890’s. flags were typically 8 feet long and larger. A 6-footer was considered small. Regulation, infantry battle flags, carried on foot, were 6 x 6.5 feet, which translates to approx. 7 x 7.5 feet after framing. At approximately 2 feet on the hoist by 3 feet 8 inches inches on the fly, the size of this 32 star example is smaller than any sort of flag that saw military use, save flank markers/guidons and camp colors. The advantage here for both collectors and one-time buyers alike is that the size is small enough to be manageable and versatile for framing and display, yet large enough to make a bold statement. It is of interest to note that this same exact type of flag was made in a much larger size, at approx. 3.5 x 7 feet, with one significant exception. All known flags in this larger variant were modified to include 2 additional stars, raising the overall count to 34. On all such examples that I have encountered, the 2 additional stars were single-appliquéd and situated so as to be staggered between the 1st and 2nd columns. The first of these was placed between the 1st and 2nd rows, and the second appears between 3rd and 4th. I expect that these larger, 34 star flags were not produced within the 32 star period, but were instead created within the time period when we had 34 states (1861-1863). It is reasonable to assume that the maker of both the 32 and 34 star versions was using lengths of press-dyed fabric with four continuous rows of stars, in a rather creative way, such that any conceivable star count era could be easily achieved. To do so they would clip a length of the blue starred fabric to include a number as close to the desired number as possible, in multiples of four, then clip one, two, or three more stars from the same bolt, and appliqué them within the field, to arrive at the desired total. Whatever the case may be, the smaller style is only known in the 32 star count, like the flag that is the subject of this narrative, while the 3.5 x 7-foot variant is only known in the 34 star count. The fact that the 32 star examples are far-and-away more rare is consistent with a pre-Civil War date of manufacture. While the name of the maker remains unknown, the late flag expert Howard Madaus suggested that there was reason to believe that these flags were produced by the Annin Company in New York City.** Annin is our nation's eldest flag-maker that is still in business today. The company was founded in the 1820's on the New York waterfront, incorporated in 1847, and though it opened a large manufacturing operation in Verona, New Jersey in 1916, maintained its head office and some production in Manhattan until 1960. A flag of this scale would have served well as a flank-marker or guidon, used to identify the position of the unit while marching or engaged, or as a camp colors, used to mark an encampment as well as for military drilling within the camp. Though not of the dimensions specified by U.S. Army regulations, the demand for flags during wartime often exceeded availability, thus reasonable substitutions were made. In addition, many units were outfitted entirely with private funding and their flags were acquired outside normal military channels. While some sources that record makers of military goods lack reference to specific military contracts with Annin, their Wikipedia entry might explain why. The narrative states: "…the U.S. Signal Corps requisitioned all its wartime flags from Annin Flagmakers for the Civil War. An undated newspaper article in Annin's 1860's archives states: "Without going through forms of contract, Annin supplied the government direct." "…As the war progressed, orders came pouring in from every state and city that was loyal to the Union, so that by the beginning of 1864, there was not a single battlefield, a brigade or a division that did not use Annin flags." I am presently aware of just 6 known examples, 4 of which I have had the great privilege to own (including this one). Two of these bore inscriptions that attributed them to Civil War officers. One displayed a signature attributed to Captain Erastus A. Pratt of Brighton, Michigan, who served with Companies D and A of the 15th Michigan Infantry between October 22nd, 1861 and December 24th, 1864. Another was accompanied by an inscription attributing it to Principal Musician Ed Tryon of the 13th Connecticut Infantry, who served as from December 17th, 1861 - April 25th, 1866 (the regiment continuing in provost duty post-war). Due to the immense popularity of state and local militia units at the time, I expect that this type of flag was produced with that audience in mind, which is likely to have spilled over into Civil War military function. All-in-all, an extremely rare flag, in one of the shortest used star counts, and in a terrific, small size for the period. Mounting: The flag was mounted and framed by us in-house. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and related textiles and have preserved thousands of examples. 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 programs. 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). Feel free to contact us for more details. Condition: There is extensive wear from obvious long-term use. There is moderate to significant loss from wind shear along the fly end, most pronounced in the first and last stripes. There Are various tears and threadbare areas throughout the striped field, particularly and the upper, fly and quadrant, along with a couple of tiny losses in the canton. There are two vertical tears beneath the canton, one extending from the 9th-11th stripes and the other extending from the 9th – 12th stripes, accompanied by an adjoining, lateral tear of similar length, extending toward the fly end within the 11th stripe. There is a tear in the last stripe adjacent to the hoist binding. There is a small, dark, somewhat circular, red stain in the last red stripe. There are small tack holes along the binding with associated rust stains. There is extremely minor staining elsewhere. 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: | 32 |
| Earliest Date of Origin: | 1858 |
| Latest Date of Origin: | 1859 |
| State/Affiliation: | Minnesota |
| 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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