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  EXTREMELY RARE, SWALLOW-TAILED PARADE FLAG / BANNER WITH A PORTRAIT OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND A BLUE, STARRED BORDER, MADE Circa 1876-1890’s, OF A GENERAL TYPE KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN PRODUCED BY THE AMERICAN FLAG COMPANY OF NEW YORK AND OTHERS

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 47.25" x 34"
Flag Size (H x L): 36.25" x 23"
Description....:
Early American parade flag / banner, printed on glazed cotton, with a white ground and a narrow blue border with 70 white stars evenly dispersed. In the center, rendered in black pigment, is a block-printed portrait of Abraham Lincoln, this likeness of him captured in the studio of Matthew Brady in 1860 and became the most famous beardless image of our 16th president. Currier and Ives made and distributed an engraved print of the Brady photo, then modified the engraving in 1861 through the addition of a shaggy beard.

The engraving used by the printer of this banner rotated the image slightly so that Lincoln is staring directly at the viewer, as opposed to being slightly turned toward a three-quarter profile. This basic type of banner is known to have been produced by the American Flag centennial of our nation's independence and possibly prior, but this is just one identified maker. Similar designs were available from various flag-makers, however, who copied one-another in competition for the same clientele of political, fraternal, and veteran’s organizations, World’s Fair exhibitions, political conventions, celebrations of July 4th and all manner of patriotic events.

Swallowtailed banners, sometimes with straight profiles and some tapered like the burgees flown on ships, were offered as templates used to feature various text and images within. They were usually available with an array of standardized elements. In addition to Lincoln, various personalities were generally offered, such as Presidents George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and James Garfield, etc., as well as a myriad of state seals, dates of anniversaries (such as “1776-1876”), names of fraternal groups, Civil War corps badges, etc. They could also be special ordered with anything one desired.

Sometimes banners of this sort displayed a star count that reflects the number of states in the Union at the time that the textile was produced. Here the count of 70 bears no meaning at all and the stars are merely an artistic presentation of patriotic symbols to decorate the border. A banner in the same style, with the image of Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman, is documented in “Threads of History: Americana Recorded on Cloth, 1775 to the Present”, by Herbert Ridgeway Collins, Smithsonian Press, 1979 (item 508, p. 231). This is the best text on American political textiles. Collins formerly served as Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian Institution. Collins dates the Sherman banner to 1884 specifically, because Sherman was nominated to run for the presidency in that year, but notes that it was still available in the 1900 catalogue of the American Flag Company. This may have actually been the 1905 catalogue, which is undated but includes notations within that allow dating to that year, and seems to be more obtainable than most catalogues of this era and still includes the Sherman version. I have found no documented examples of any sort of portrait, however, that post-date a Teddy Roosevelt example (Collins, item 834, p. 336) likely made for his campaign for the Vice Presidency with Incumbent Presidential Candidate William McKinley.

Even though a portrait of Lincoln seems to have commonly adorned the center of this type of textile, remarkably, I have seldom ever seen one of any sort. Collins illustrates a related example with tapered format and the date “1860” above, and with text below that reads “The Preserver of Our Country” (item 509, p. 232). He dates this to 1884 as well, based upon an image of what he claims to be: “A picture of this banner taken in the 1880s in front of a general store on Main Street in Richmond decked out by its Negro proprietor to commemorate the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation January 1, 1863, known and observed as Liberation Day, or the former slaves’ day of independence.” The photograph, which survives in the collection of the Valentine Museum, Richmond, is illustrated by Collins as plate 40 on p. 21. Though his identification of the banner is incorrect—the Richmond general store image has a format with straight sides and lacks the slogans—he is correct in that it does not date to Lincoln’s 1860 campaign, as this is a bearded image. The Richmond example is also different than the banner that is the subject of this narrative. Though the shape is the same, it incorporates a different engraved portrait, this one in ¾ pose.

A tapered example, like the one documented in Collins but 3-color printed, with the inclusion of a red wreath and the 1860 date in red, is illustrated in “Collecting Lincoln” by Stuart Schneider (1997, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA), p. 55, is incorrectly dated to 1864. I suspect these to date as early as the 1876 Centennial, possibly even prior, but not to Lincoln's campaigns. I have seen more than one example of a mate to this variety, which features George Washington and the date “1776,” accompanied by a slogan that reads: “The Father of Our Country.” These two variants, featuring Washington (likewise available in 3 color printing) and Lincoln, were obviously intended for display as a pair.

In spite of the above description of at least 4 styles with Lincoln portraits, almost nothing survives. In aggregate, these banners are actually far more rare than the campaign flags that collectors naturally covet and this is, in fact, the only known example in this precise style.

* Not to be confused with another firm by the same name in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Mounting: The flag was mounted and framed by us in-house. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and related textiles and have preserved thousands of examples. For 25 years we have maintained our own textile conservation department, led by a master’s degree level graduate from one of the nation’s top university programs.

The background is 100% cotton twill, black in color, that has been washed and treated for colorfastness. The mount was placed in a black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic (Plexiglas). Feel free to contact us for more details.

Condition: there are tack holes along the leading edge, where the banner was once attached to a split, wooden staff. There are minor to modest losses in each corner from extended use and some fraying around the perimeter. There is craquelure and pigment loss throughout, accompanied by some soiling. There is very minor misprinting, but the overall colors and image are very strong and this is a fantastic example in all respects, especially considering the rarity
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type: Parade flag
Star Count: Other
Earliest Date of Origin: 1876
Latest Date of Origin: 1895
State/Affiliation:
War Association: 1861-1865 Civil War
Price: SOLD
 

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