Jeff Bridgman Antique Flags
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  48 STAR PARADE FLAG SALESMAN'S SAMPLE, CA 1912-1930

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 36.25" x 24.75"
Flag Size (H x L): 17.75" x 29.5"
Description....:
48 STAR PARADE FLAG SALESMAN'S SAMPLE, CA 1912-1930:

Parade flag "samplers", as they are sometimes called, are especially rare objects. These were used by salesmen to demonstrate a range of available sizes when marketing flags to their customers. Only a small handful are known to exist and they are prized by collectors. Printed on cotton and bound by machine with a blue cotton header, this one displays the official, 6 x 8, rectilinear configuration of 48 stars and was likely made between 1912 and 1930. Based on comparisons with other vintage flag textiles, the most likely period of manufacture is during the WWI era (U.S. involvement 1917-1918).

I am aware of four other examples with 48 stars, one with 45 stars, and an especially unusual one with a range of early star counts.

The modernistic graphics of flag samplers are quite exceptional. One might note their similarity to one of Jasper Johns' most identifiable work of art, "Three Flags" (1958), in the collection of the Whitney Museum in New York. In fact, the graphics are so similar that one might ask himself if the concept for didn't come from Johns' having viewed a flag sampler textile.

Mounting: The textile has been hand-stitched 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 modern, black-painted molding with a rectangular profile. A slight shadowbox was created to accommodate the depth of the textile. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic.

Condition: There is minor to moderate water staining throughout. The textile presents well and its rarity well-warrants the condition. many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type: Parade flag
Star Count: 48
Earliest Date of Origin: 1912
Latest Date of Origin: 1930
State/Affiliation: Arizona
War Association:
Price: SOLD
 

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