Jeff Bridgman Antique Flags
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  38 STARS, MADE FOR THE 1876 CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION, EXTREMELY RARE FORM OF THE MEDALLION CONFIGURATION

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 45.5" x 68.5"
Flag Size (H x L): 35.25" x 57.5"
Description....:
38 STARS, MADE FOR THE 1876 CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION, EXTREMELY RARE FORM OF THE MEDALLION CONFIGURATION:

38 star American national flag, press-dyed on wool bunting. The stars are arranged in a very rare form of the medallion configuration that has an ellipse of 6 stars in the center, surrounded by two circular wreaths of stars, with an oversized star flanking in each corner. Most medallion designs have a single star in center, often larger in size than all the rest, presumably to honor the most recent, incoming state. Here the elliptical center is not only unusual; it is, rather, unique among known designs.

It is not rare for the corner stars to be noticeably larger if there is a single, large center star; but it is very odd for there to be large flanking corner stars without the inclusion of a large star in the very center. The result is a whimsical, off-balanced effect and a pronounced visual difference between this and other known styles of parade flags. Only one other known type shares this trait. It is a smaller flag, also press-dyed on wool bunting, also with 38 stars, made by the same maker in the same year. The smaller variety, however, does not have the ellipse of 6 stars in the center; rather it has a single center star, just as small as those in the surrounding wreaths, of which there are three instead of two.

Upon closer inspection, the placement of these 6 stars is purposeful and it actually creates a very interesting secondary pattern. The design is hard to see unless you begin in the bottom left corner of the star field and work towards the center. Starting with the large corner star, draw a line toward the center with two small stars. Then note how the stars fan outward from this short, diagonal line in successive arches. The same works in reverse if you begin at the top right corner. Corner-to-corner, the design is a mirror image, which is probably no accident.

Currently there are fewer than ten known examples of this flag (I think nine in total), most of which I have owned. The star placement, the fact that the stars point in all, directions and the exaggerated size of the corner stars, all lend it a skewed, folk quality that is superior to most wreath designs and it exists as one of the great oddities of 19th century flag-making.

The flag has a sleeve along its hoist end, made of a heavy twill fabric with two brass grommets. On this there is a period stencil that reads "3 x 6", to indicate size, accompanied by the hand-written name "H.W. Ennig", which would be the name of a former owner. It was common in the 19th century to mark ownership of flags in this fashion.

Though the maker of the flag remains unknown, others with the same fabric, colors, and construction have on two occasions been found in groups. Some of these flags have bore the stamp of Horstmann Brothers (also call Horstmann & Sons at one time), a major military outfitter and supplier of all manner of goods to the Union Army during the Civil War. Horstmann did not make their own flags, but contracted flags and/or purchased them from flag-makers. It is very likely that this flag was made for Horstmann, due to the fact that the company was located in Philadelphia and the fact that the Centennial International Exposition, a major World's Fair event, took place in the same city. Elaborate star patterns, such as this one, tend to be seen on 38 star flags that were made specifically for the Centennial Expo. Most parade flags were printed on cotton or silk and intended for short term use at parades or political events. But wool sheds water and was the fabric of choice for all maritime flags, as well as flags flown outdoors on fixed structures. This is why it was the natural choice for some of the printed flag that were used at the 1876 Worlds Fair, which lasted for a full six months and required decorative, printed flags with greater longevity.

The process of printing flags on wool, called press-dying, was first patented in 1849. The process was primarily used during the Centennial-era by the U.S. Bunting Company of Lowell, Mass., which began making press-dyed flags for the U.S. military in 1869. The U.S. Bunting Co. Was one of the first firms to successfully produce high quality wool bunting in the states, and while its owners worked diligently to master the press-dyeing process, it was very intensive and never become a popular method of flag production. The inexact process of press-dying often added interesting folk characteristics to flags, such as stripes with irregular lines and stars with inconsistent shapes and in slightly varying sizes. Both of these characteristics can be seen on this example.

The 38th state, Colorado, received its statehood on August 1st, 1876. This was just 28 days after the official centennial celebration, which took place on July 4th. Although 37 was the official star count in 1876, flag-making was a competitive venture, and no one wanted to be making 37 star flags when others were making 38's. It is for this reason that counts of 38 and 13 (to reference the original 13 colonies) stars are more often seen on flags made in the year of the centennial. Some makers were actually producing 39 star flags, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of another Western Territory. The 38 star flag was generally used until 1889, when four new states joined the Union.

Mounting: The flag has been hand-stitched to 100% silk organza for support, then hand-stitched to a background of 100% cotton twill, black in color. The background fabric has been washed to reduce excess dye. An acid-free gent was added to the wash to further set the dye and the fabric was heat-treated for the same purpose. The flag was then placed in a black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic.

Condition: There is a minor amount of bleeding in the stripe area. While this can often detract from a flag's appearance, here I find that it actually adds a degree of depth to its overall coloration, which is visually appealing. Many collectors like their flags to show their age and obvious signs of use, feeling that it adds nostalgic charm to the well-loved symbol of our nation.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type:
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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