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  33 STARS, ABRAHAM LINCOLN & HANNIBAL HAMLIN CAMPAIGN, 1860, GREAT STAR PATTERN

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 20.25" x 28"
Flag Size (H x L): 11" x 16.75"
Description....:
ABRAHAM LINCOLN and HANNIBAL HAMLIN CAMPAIGN, 33 STARS, 1860 ELECTION, RARE GREAT STAR CONFIGURATION: 33 star American parade flag, printed on glazed cotton, and made for the 1860 campaign of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin. Note the combination of the whimsical, serpentine, black-inked lettering and this beautiful variation of what is called the Great Star configuration (a star made out of smaller stars). An example of this style is pictured in Threads of History: Americana Recorded on Cloth, 1775 to the Present, by Herbert Ridgeway Collins, 1979, Smithsonian Press (page 156, item 290). This is the best text on American political textiles. Collins formerly served as Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian Institution. Among printed parade flags, those made for the political campaign of President Lincoln are, collectively, the most desired. It is interesting to note that Lincoln was hardly the favorite at the beginning of the campaign, winning the Republican nomination from the 3rd ticket. He then defeated John Bell (Constitution Party), John Breckinridge (Southern Democrat), and Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrat), to become the Republican party's first president. Lincoln was elected with a mere thirty-nine percent of the vote and carried no state south of the Mason-Dixon line. Great Star designs take on many forms. In this particular example, note that there is a star between each arm of the large star and that there is a triangle of three stars in the very center. Among collectors, the Great Star is the most coveted of all 19th century geometric patterns. Shortly after the War of 1812, American naval hero, Captain Samuel Reid, suggested to the president that the Great Star should be considered to become the first official star design. Reid's primary concern was that, as more and more states joined the Union, our flag needed to be kept recognizable on the open seas. Naval use was the primary reason for the American ensign in the first place, and Reid's proposal would have kept the star constellation in roughly the same form, and in an easily recognized design that could be quickly identified through a spyglass as the number of states grew. Reid's proposal was rejected due to the increased cost of arranging the stars in this manner. Never-the-less, since there was no official star pattern, the great star was produced by anyone willing to make it. Its rarity today, along with its beauty, has driven the desirability of American flags with this configuration. Only one variety of 33 star parade flag is seen with any frequency, and even that version is relatively scarce. This version is exceptionally rare. Add to this the bold printing of: F0R PRESIDENT, ABRAHAM LINCOLN. FOR VICE PRESIDENT, HANNIBAL HAMLIN, and the Great Star pattern, and what results is one of the best parade flags of the pre-Civil War era. The 33rd state, Oregon, entered the Union on February 14th, 1859. The 33 star flag was official from 1859-1861, and was thus still the official flag when Ft. Sumter was fired upon, on April 12th of that year to start the Civil War. Brief Biography of Hannibal Hamlin: Hannibal Hamlin, our nation's first Republican vice president, was born in Maine in 1809. Hew was an attorney who, in his political career prior to the White House, served as Chairman of the Maine State House of Representatives, as a U.S. Congressman and Senator , before becoming Governor of the State of Maine. He was a Democrat until 1856, but was an opponent to slavery. He did not run with Lincoln in the second campaign in 1864, but did return to the U.S. Senate from 1869-1881 and served as Minister to Spain from 1881-82. Inquire for further info.
Collector Level: Flags for the truest Patriots. My best offerings
Flag Type: Parade flag
Star Count: 33
Earliest Date of Origin: 1859
Latest Date of Origin: 1860
State/Affiliation: Oregon
War Association: 1777-1860 Pre-Civil War
Price: No
 

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