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  38 STARS POINTING IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS ON A BRILLIANT, CORNFLOWER BLUE CANTON, COLORADO STATEHOOD, 1876-1889

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 56.75" x 66"
Flag Size (H x L): 46" x 54.75"
Description....:
38 STARS POINTING IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS ON A BRILLIANT, CORNFLOWER BLUE CANTON, COLORADO STATEHOOD, 1876-1889:

38 star American national flag with a canton of brilliant, cornflower blue. Not how the stars point in various directions on their vertical axis, which lends a great deal of folk quality to the overall design.

The stars of the flag are hand-sewn and double-appliqued, which means that they were applied to both sides of the blue canton. The canton and stripes were sewn with a treadle machine. This combination of hand and machine stitching, hand or the stars and machine for the stripes, is exactly what one expects to see in most wool flags of the centennial era.

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 in Philadelphia. 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 38 and 13 are the two star counts most often seen during the 100-year anniversary of our nation's independence. The 38 star flag became official in 1877 and was generally used until the addition of the Dakotas in 1889.

Mounting: The flag has been hand-stitched to 100% silk organza on every seam and throughout the star field for support. It was then sewn to a background of 100% cotton twill, black in color, which has been washed to reduce excess dye. And acid-free agent was added to the wash to further set the dye and the fabric was heat-treated for the same purpose. The mount was then placed in a black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding. The front is u.v. protective plexiglas.

Condition: There is some foxing and staining throughout. The flag has lost some length and has been appropriately turned back and hemmed. It's difficult to know just how long it was originally, since there were no official proportions for the American flag until 1912 and this, in any event, is a homemade example.
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:
Price: SOLD
 

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