Jeff Bridgman Antique Flags
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  38 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH BEAUTIFULLY HAND-SEWN STARS AND IN A SMALL AND VERY DESIRABLE SCALE AMONG ITS COUNTERPARTS OF THE 19TH CENTURY; REFLECTS THE PERIOD WHEN COLORADO WAS THE MOST RECENT STATE TO JOIN THE UNION, 1876-1889

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): Approx. 44" x 68"
Flag Size (H x L): 32.25" x 56.25"
Description....:
38 star antique American flag in a wonderful, small size compared to others of the period with sewn construction. The stars are made of cotton and are double- appliquéd (sewn to both sides). These are arranged in staggered rows of 8-7-8-7-8 and are consistently oriented on their vertical axis, so that each has one point directed upward throughout. The canton and the stripes of the flag are made of wool bunting that has been joined by treadle stitching. There is a coarse linen binding along the hoist, applied with treadle stitching, with two brass grommets, one each at the top and bottom. Along this, on the obverse, near the top, a blank-inked stencil reads “5” to indicate the overall length on the fly in feet.

Colorado joined the Union as the 38th state on August 1st, 1876. This was the year of our nation’s 100-year anniversary of independence. Per the Third Flag Act of 1818, stars were not officially added until the 4th of July following a state's addition. For this reason, 37 remained the official star count until July 4th, 1877. Flag-making was a competitive venture, however, and no one cared what was official. As soon as it was suspected that a new state was coming, stars were often added by the makers of flags, both public and private. Some would have begun adding a star for the 38th state before it even entered the Union, in the early part of 1876, and almost none continued to produce 37 star flags when their competitors were making 38’s. It is for this reason that flags with 38 and 13 stars, the latter to reflect the original 13 colonies, are most frequently encountered at the Centennial International Exposition, the six-month long World’s Fair, held in Philadelphia, that served as the nucleus of the national celebration. It is of interest to note that many makers of printed parade flags were actually producing 39 star examples in that same year, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of two more Western Territories instead of just one. The 39th state would not join the Union for another 13 years, however, when the Dakota Territory, entered as two states (numbers 39 and 40) on the same day, on November 2nd, 1889. Montana entered just a few days later, on November 8th, followed by Washington State on November 11th. So within a period of just 9 days, 4 new states had joined the Union. It was at this time that the 38 star flag fell from regular use.

The small scale of the flag is one of its most desirable characteristics. At this time in early America, 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 intended for decorative display were generally very large by today’s standards. A length of 6 feet on the fly was considered small and production of sewn flags that were 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 typically 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: Two rectangular fabric patches were formerly stitched at the fly end of the first and last red stripes, in the regions visible due to slightly different coloration. We removed each of these. The associated fabric loss was underlaid with fabric of similar coloration. This was extremely minimal on the last stripe, and in the top stripe comprises a horizontal area approximately 1.25” in height and just short of the length of the shadowed region of the former patch. There is an old and very minor, stitched repair to a small separation between the binding and the last stripe. There is a stitched repair along and adjacent to the seam between the 12th and 13th stripes, at the fly end, where there is also minor to modest associated loss and fraying. There is some soiling along the binding, the most significant of which is near the bottom, adjacent to the 11th through 13th stripes, accompanied by a few tiny tack holes. There is very minor mothing, the most notable of which is a series of tiny holes near the fly end, in the 3rd-7th stripes. There is minor to modest soiling. Many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age and history of use.
Collector Level: Intermediate-Level Collectors and Special Gifts
Flag Type: Sewn flag
Star Count: 38
Earliest Date of Origin: 1876
Latest Date of Origin: 1889
State/Affiliation: Colorado
War Association: 1866-1890 Indian Wars
Price: SOLD
 

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