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  38 STARS IN A RARE OVAL MEDALLION WITH A LARGE CENTER STAR AND FLANKING CORNER STARS, MADE DURING THE PERIOD OF COLORADO STATEHOOD (1876-1889), ATTRIBUTED TO FECHHEIMER BROS. OF CINCINNATI, OHIO

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L):
Flag Size (H x L): 59" x 96"
Description....:
38 STARS IN A RARE OVAL MEDALLION WITH A LARGE CENTER STAR AND FLANKING CORNER STARS, MADE DURING THE PERIOD OF COLORADO STATEHOOD (1876-1889), ATTRIBUTED TO FECHHEIMER BROS. OF CINCINNATI, OHIO:

38 star American national flag, made in the period following the addition of Colorado as the 38th state, with a variety of rare and interesting features. Chief among these is the arrangement of the stars, which appear in a beautiful rendition of what is known as a medallion. Medallions come in various forms, most of them circular. The one that appears on this flag is oval, which is especially unusual across American flags of the 19th century and particularly desirable. This specific style is called double wreath. It consists of a large central star within a ring of 13 stars. These are surrounded by a wreath of 20 stars and flanked in each corner by a star of the same size as the one in the center. Large corner stars are often seen in the small printed flags waved at parades and political events, but are unusual among large flags, such as this one, with pieced-and-sewn construction. Their presence on this flag is particularly striking.

Colorado became the 38th state on August 1st, 1876. This was the year of our nation's centennial of independence from Great Britain. Although 37 remained the official star count for the American flag until 1877, 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 stars (to represent the original 13 colonies) are more often seen at the Centennial International Exposition in Philadelphia. In 1876, some flag-makers were actually producing 39 star flags, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of the Dakota Territory, but the 39th state would not actually arrive for another 13 years, when the Dakotas came as two states instead of one on November 2nd, 1889. Because stars were officially added on the 4th of July following a state's addition, the 38 star flag became official on July 4th, 1877 and remained so until July 3rd, 1890. On the following day, 43 became the new count, adding stars for the Dakotas, Montana, Washington, and Idaho, all of which had gained statehood during the previous "flag year."

This particular 38 star flag is signed signed "F. Bros." along the reverse of the hoist binding with a black stencil. I attribute this mark to Fechheimer Brothers of Cincinnati, Ohio, a textile manufacturer and primarily a maker of clothing, documented in "A Directory of American Military Goods Dealers & Makers, Combined Edition, 1785-1915 by Bazelon & McGuinn (self-published, Manassas, Virgina, 1999), p. 82. The Fechheimer family emigrated from Bavaria in 1842 and operated under several names as partnerships, siblings, and children came and went. The name "Fechheimer Bros." came into use shortly after 1880, operating under that name by 1881. Shortening of the name on the stencil may have been for practical reasons, or may have been to mask recognition of the family's Jewish origin. Whatever the case may be, it was a very large operation and, according to Bazelon & McGuinn, in 1886 "they employed 800 hands."

The stars are made of plain weave cotton, hand-sewn and double-appliqued (applied to both sides). The canton is made gabardine, blanket or uniform grade wool with an especially attractive diagonal weave and in a beautiful shade of indigo blue. Two lengths were required and these were seamed by hand. The red and white stripes are made of fine merino wool and are pieced with treadle stitching. There is a sailcloth canvas binding along the hoist, pieced in three segments and bound with treadle stitching, along which are three, large, hand-stamped grommets, made of brass.

Maker's marks are very scarce on 19th century flags. This is the only example I have ever seen with the "F. Bros." mark. This is probably because the firm primarily employed tailors. The use of gabardine wool suggests someone not typically involved in flag-making. As one of the largest manufacturers of uniforms, Fechheimer would have had plenty of wool of this type. Flags made of merino wool were advertised by at least one commercial maker (Jabez W. Loane of Baltimore), and the fabric is seen in a small percentage of flags made during the second half of the 19th century. It is not, however, the traditional selection for long-term, outdoor use. Most professionally-made flags with pieced-and-sewn construction employed wool bunting, which was loosely woven and specifically designed for flags and banners. An excellent choice for inclement weather, wool bunting was not used for any other purpose, such as linens, uniforms or clothes. A firm such as Fechheimer Bros. would have probably had little call for the fabric and so would have substituted other fabrics. Wool sheds water, but merino and gabardine were not the ideal choice.

The stitching of the stars is also indicative of a maker that was not usually involved in the manufacture of flags. While expertly hand-sewn with tiny stitches, the edges of the stars were not turned under as they were appliqued to the canton. This would have kept the stars from fraying more quickly over time. Applique work is especially difficult and probably wasn't present in most of the sewing done at Fechheimer Bros..

While uncommon, the fabrics used in the making of the flag are definitely more attractive that what is typically encountered. Both their texture and color are more endearing to collectors of early American textiles, which is why I am exceptionally fond of this particular example, in addition the huge stars, oval medallion, and the signature from an otherwise unreported maker of flags.

Condition: There is fraying from wind shear along the top edge of the first red stripe adjacent to the fly end. There was fraying all along the fly end, which we turned back slightly and hemmed by hand as a proper means of repair. There is minor mothing throughout. There are some old repair stitches in one of these areas, in the upper hoist-end corner of the canton, adjacent to the large star. There is minor to moderate soiling in the stars and the hoist binding. There is a lateral tear across the 2nd half of the 3rd white stripe, with a small vertical tear in the center. There is a small hole at the hoist end of the 5th red stripe and an L-shaped tear towards the fly-end of that stripe, both of where were patched with red gabardine wool. There is a 5" lateral tear at the fly end of the 6th white stripe. Many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age and history of use.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type: Sewn flag
Star Count: 38
Earliest Date of Origin: 1881
Latest Date of Origin: 1889
State/Affiliation: Colorado
War Association: 1866-1890 Indian Wars
Price: Please call (717) 676-0545 or (717) 502-1281
 

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