| 37 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG, MADE & SIGNED BY THE ANNIN COMPANY IN NEW YORK CITY, ENTIRELY HAND-SEWN AND WITH SINGLE-APPLIQUÉD STARS, IN A SMALL AND VERY DESIRABLE SCALE AMONG THOSE WITH PIECED-AND-SEWN CONSTRUCTION; REFLECTS THE ERA WHEN NEBRASKA WAS THE MOST RECENT STATE TO JOIN THE UNION, 1867-1876 |
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| Web ID: | 37j-856 |
| Available: | In Stock |
| Frame Size (H x L): | Approx. 46" x 73.5" |
| Flag Size (H x L): | 34" x 61.5" |
| Description: | |
| 37 star antique American flag with an array of desirable features. Entirely hand-sewn throughout, the flag was made and signed by the Annin Company of New York, our nation’s eldest flag-maker that is still in business today. Nebraska joined the Union as the 37th state on March 1st, 1867, shortly following Lincoln’s death and the close of the Civil War. Per the Third Flag Act of 1818, stars were to be added on Independence Day for any new states that had been added throughout the preceding "flag year." The 37 star flag thus became official on July 4th, 1867 and remained so until July 3rd, 1877. Flag-makers cared little for official star counts. Preferring what made most practical sense, stars were typically added as soon as a new state was in, if not even sometimes even beforehand, in hopeful anticipation. Because Colorado gained statehood on August 1st, 1876, and nearly everyone seems to have presumed it was coming, flag-makers generally produced 38 star flags for the celebration of our nation's 100-year anniversary of independence, that took place in that year. Some flag-makers actually elected to make 39 star flags, adding two stars instead of one, in hopeful anticipation that the Dakota Territory would also gain statehood, though this would not occur for another 13 years, when the Dakotas arrived as two separate states. 13 star flags were also prevalent in the year of our nation's centennial, to reflect the original 13 colonies. Due primarily to the lack of major patriotic events during the period in which they were generally used, the 37 star-count is scarce when compared to the flags that immediately preceded and followed it. The canton and stripes of the flag are made of wool bunting. The stars, arranged in rows of 7-8-7-8-7, are made of cotton and are single-appliquéd. This means that they were applied to one side only, a cut out was made on the reverse and the fabric carefully and expertly under-hemmed, so that one star could be seen on both sides. I always find single-appliquéd stars more desirable, not only because they are evidence of a more difficult level of seam-work and stitching, but also because they are more visually intriguing. The two visible rows of stitching and the manner by which it is accomplished, executed here with two different colors of thread, makes the hand-made element more pronounced. Both the sewing itself and stretching of the fabrics over time result in stars that tend to display more interesting characteristics. That is certainly the case in this instance. Although all of the stars are oriented so that one point is directed upward, note how their profiles vary greatly throughout the arrangement, some bulbous and others skinny, with arms bent this way and that. This adds considerable folk quality to the flag’s presentation. There is a coarse linen binding along the hoist with two brass grommets, one each at the extreme top and bottom. Along this, on the obverse, near the top, a blank-inked stencil reads “XX,” followed by “Annin & Co NY.” Typically, a numeral would be included before double-X, to indicate overall length on the fly in feet, (in this case “5”,) but in this case it was omitted. Few flag-makers signed their material at all in the 19th century, and even those that sometimes did, such as Annin, were horribly inconsistent in their application. 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. This is an early Annin mark, of the sort that begins to appear in the mid-1860's. Because the earliest American national flags that I have identified with the full star count (as opposed to having 13 stars or an exclusionary number), that have Annin stencils, appear in the 36 star count (1864-67), this 37 star Annin flag is among the earliest signed examples. Annin had a long history of providing flags of all types to military units and governmental purposes. 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." At just 5 feet on the fly, one of this particular flag’s best characteristics is its small size among its counterparts of the 19th century. At this time, flags with pieced and sewn construction (as opposed to printed) were typically eight feet long or larger. This is because they were important in their function as signals, meaning that they needed to be seen and recognized from a great distance. Even flags made for decorative purposes were generally very large by today’s standards. A length of 6 feet on the fly was considered small and production of flags smaller than this was extremely limited. Because the average 19th century sewn flag can be cumbersome to frame and display in an indoor setting, many collectors prefer printed parade flags, which were generally far smaller, and small-scale sewn flags, like this one. 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 programs. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and related textiles and have preserved thousands of examples. The black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed molding is Italian. The background fabric 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 minor to modest fabric loss throughout, some from mothing and some from use, accompanied by areas of moderate loss in the first red stripe comma near the canton, as well as at the fly end, and in the 5th red stripe, below the canton, and in the last white stripe, also below the canton, as well as at the extreme fly end corner of the last stripe. These are accompanied by moderate losses at the hoist end of the last stripe. There is minor soiling throughout, accompanied by modest to moderate areas of the same in the striped field, ranging from the 1st through the 3rd stripes, the 5th and 6th stripes, and the 11th and 12th stripes. There is significant fading of the black stencil. 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: | 37 |
| Earliest Date of Origin: | 1867 |
| Latest Date of Origin: | 1876 |
| State/Affiliation: | Nebraska |
| War Association: | 1866-1890 Indian Wars |
| Price: | Please call (717) 676-0545 |
| E-mail: | info@jeffbridgman.com |
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