| 48 star American national flag, made in the period between WWI (U.S. involvement 1917-18) and the 1930’s. The 48 star flag became official in 1912 following the addition of New Mexico and Arizona. It remained so throughout WWI (U.S. involvement 1917-18), WWII (U.S. involvement 1941-45), and the Korean War (1950-53), until Alaska gained statehood in 1959 and the 49th star was added.
The canton and stripes are made of wool bunting and pieced with machine stitching. The stars are made of cotton and are double-appliquéd (applied to both sides) with a zigzag machine stitch. There is a heavy canvas binding with 2 brass grommets for hoisting. A maker’s tag along the hoist reads: “Sterling; Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.; All Wool Double Warp; Bunting". Sterling was a brand name of the Annin Company and reflected one of their two highest grades of wool bunting. Annin is our nation's eldest flag-maker that is still in business today. The company was founded in the 1820's on the New York waterfront, incorporated in 1847, and though it opened a large manufacturing operation in Verona, New Jersey in 1916, maintained its head office and some production in Manhattan until 1960.
Production of wool bunting flags fell drastically after the Second World War in favor of cotton and cotton/synthetic blends that had been developed which resisted moths and at the same time shed water like their wool counterparts.
Mounting: The flag has not yet been mounted.
Condition: Excellent for the period. There is extremely minor mothing in limited areas. There is a stitched repair between the 9th and 10th stripes, adjacent to the fly end. There is a very tiny amount of mothing. There are two partial tears with associated fraying along the hem between the 12th and 13th stripes, in the fly end half. There is extremely minor bleeding along the edges of the white wool bunting. |
