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  ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH 13 STARS, A U.S. NAVY SMALL BOAT ENSIGN WITH AN EXTREMELY RARE BLOCK-PRINTED MARK FROM THE BOSTON NAVY YARD, 1863-1866

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 73.75" x 47.75"
Flag Size (H x L): 63" x 37"
Description....:
13 STAR U.S. NAVY SMALL BOAT ENSIGN WITH AN EXTREMELY RARE BLOCK-PRINTED MARK FROM THE BOSTON NAVY YARD, 1863-1866:

The U.S. Navy flew 13 star flags on small boats throughout the 19th century, particularly the second half. They did so, because at a distance, as the number of states in the Union was growing and with it the number of stars, ship captains were very concerned that the stars themselves be easily discerned at a distance. The fear was that if the stars were too small and there were too many of them, placed too closely together, that they may become as one white mass to the viewer. It was very important that American ships be easily recognized on the open seas and the fear was that this might deter proper identification of the flag and thus its purpose as a signal.

There is evidence that the Navy also flew other low counts, presumably with the same reason in mind. I believe them to have been made with 12, 15, 16 and 20 stars, all of which were easily divisible into justified rows (i.e., 3 rows of 4 stars, 4 rows of 4 stars, etc.). Of these, only those with 16 stars seem to have been authorized and officially recorded, but it is known that many liberties were taken by the commandants of U.S. Navy ports, and this would be one likely explanation of the variance of the design of small boat flags.

As a rule, the Navy made its own flags. They did so at various locations, such as Newport News, Virginia, the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City, the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, Mare Island, California (near San Francisco), and Cavite in the Philippine Islands. Generally such flags went unmarked until the 1880's and after. Earlier versions are generally identified by their design and construction. By the end of the 19th century, production in Newport News appears to have ceased, because none bear this mark. Most of the signed flags that appear in the marketplace are marked "Navy Yard NY" with dates between the 1880's and 1912. Pre-WWI flags that have "Mare Island" markings are significantly more rare, as are those marked "Cavite, Philippines".

Of all the signed examples, the most interesting are those that say "Boston Navy Yard".* I have encountered three flags with block-printed markings from this location. Two of these are 13 star, small boat ensigns and the third is a large 37 star flag. The flag in question here is one of the two with 13 stars. It is constructed of three panels of press-dyed wool that have been pieced with hand-stitching and is bound with an especially wide, coarse linen hoist. This is not typical construction for a Navy flag, but production of press-dyed flags began as early as the 1840's and were in use by the U.S. Army as camp colors as early as the opening years of the Civil War.

In 1865, shortly before his death, Abraham Lincoln signed an executive order which decreed that all American flags made under government and military contract were to be produced with American-made fabric (so long as such fabric was available at the same price and quality as was available from foreign sources). This is said to have been the first ever "Made in America" legislation. Before this time, the wool bunting used in the manufacture of American flags was primarily acquired in Great Britain.

Civil War General Benjamin Butler was instrumental in convincing Lincoln to sign the order. He was a politically and economically motivated individual who invested in a wool business in the fabric mill town of Lowell, Massachusetts and sought to profit from the endeavor. He invested in a company owned by a man named John Holt, who held a patent for printing wool. He and Butler sought to make printed wool flags to fill military contracts. In 1866, Butler convinced the U.S. Navy to place an order for such flags, even though there was plenty of excess stock left over from the war and more inventory wasn't needed. Butler gained a seat in the U.S. Congress representing the state of Massachusetts in 1867. Based upon a history of suspected illicit wartime trade with his brothers in Virginia and New Orleans, it seems likely that the Navy contract was nudged along through less-than-scrupulous means. That same year, his firm, called the U.S. Bunting Company, delivered its first flags to the Charlestown Navy Yard, but there was a significant problem. The flags were made of lesser grade wool than what was promised and so lost the favor of future business.

The late flag expert Howard Madaus viewed one of these two 13 star flags at my conservation studio around the year 2002. At that time, he related that a contract was filled for such flags in 1867. Grace Rogers Cooper of the Smithsonian, however, documented an 1867 contract in her book "13 Star Flags: Keys to Identification" (Smithsonian Press, 1973, p. 19), which called for 600 storm flags and 300 garrison flags, measuring 20 and 35 feet on the fly, not 13 star small boat ensigns [see "13 Star Flags: Keys to Identification", Smithsonian Press). This contract was for bolts of American-made wool, not for press-dyed flags. In addition, this was an Army contract. Cooper relates that The Navy is said to have begun use of the fabric from U.S. Bunting Company within a year of Lincoln's 1865 order, which would mean either 1865 or 1866.

In 1870 John Holt obtained another patent for press dyed wool that specifically related to the production of an "improved American flag". This patent is stenciled on a fair number of known 13 and 38 star flags, both obviously manufactured during or after that year. The name of the company is also stenciled on some of these. The date of production of the two 13 star "Boston Navy Yard" flags, however, remains unclear. They have no such patent date markings, nor a U.S. Bunting Company signature, and, in my opinion, appear to be of Civil War era manufacture as opposed to 1876 centennial era. The U.S. Bunting Company flags with 1870 patent dates have cotton sleeves and a later appearance, while the Boston Navy Yard flags appear earlier, with crude, block-printed signatures. The one in question here has a hand-written inscription to denote the size, done in script with a dip pen. The 1870 patent-marked examples employ neatly stenciled text and a stenciled size. This particular Boston Navy Yard flag has a wide, golden brown, linen sleeve, reminiscent of older flags.

In my opinion these 13 star, Boston Navy Yard flags were made before the 1867 contract with the Army. They may have occurred near the end of the war, or perhaps shortly thereafter in late 1865 or 66. They may have been presented to the Navy by Holt or Butler in hopes of future contracts, or as part of an order that had yet to be filled. Their 3-2-3-2-3 star pattern suggests late war, when the Navy appears to have switched to this configuration. Some sources suggest that the Navy used the 4-5-4 pattern until 1875, but I disagree. Based on the construction of surviving examples, I suggest that a transition began taking place toward the end of the Civil War, sometime between 1863 and 1865, and that transition wasn't immediate. There appears to have been some overlap, and this seems logical when considering other inconsistencies from one Naval base to the next in 19th century America.

It is interesting to note that I have seen 3 or 4 other 13 star examples with construction similar to the Boston Navy Yard flags, yet without the Boston Navy Yard signature. These may have been produced by the same maker. Perhaps the Navy simply purchased press-dyed bunting from Holt's firm, pre-1870, and constructed their own flags, not all of which were marked with the place of origin.

In any event, this 13 star flag with its Boston Navy Yard mark is an extraordinary survivor. Its rarity and its connection to one of our nation's most historic naval strongholds makes it a wonderful addition to any collection of important American flags.

Some Notes on Wool Production in Lowell, Massachusetts and John Holt:
The first woolen mill in Lowell was the Middlesex Woolen Mill, built 1831-32 by the Middlesex Company, located off Warren St., on the Concord River, somewhat east and downstream from the other major textile corporations of Lowell. which drew their water power from a canal system fed by the Merrimack River.

The Middlesex Mills were owned by the Lawrence family of Boston, and the factories turned out woolen textiles rather than the calicos, jeans and broad-cloths produced by the eight cotton mills of Lowell.

The origins of the Musketaquid Mill date from 1850 when John Holt established a wool dyeing and printing works on Howe Street in Belvidere (a section of Lowell), MA. Born in Dorchester, New Hampshire in 1812, Holt received a common school education and became a cabinet maker before settling in Lowell around 1840. Initially he worked at his trade (in Lowell city directories of the 1840's, Holt was listed as a cabinet maker and carpenter) with a shop on Howe Street, near the Whitney Mill, where Edward Brierly was engaged in the press printing of woolens. Holt likely became acquainted with Brierly, who received the first patent for press-dyeing in 1849. One year later Holt opened his own mill. His business holdings eventually included the U.S. Bunting Company. He eventually secured his own patents for press dyeing flags, including one in 1870 for an "improved American flag".

Mounting: The flag has been hand-stitched to 100% natural fabrics throughout for support. Fabrics of similar coloration was used both to strengthen the flag's colors against the dark ground and to mask losses. The flag was then hand-stitched to a background of 100% cotton, black in color, which was washed to reduce excess dye. An acid-free agent was added to the wash to further set the dye, which was heat-treated for the same purpose. The mount was then placed in a black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed, Italian molding. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic.

Condition: The flag was certainly flown for an extended period and there are losses in the expected places from wind shear, including both corners of the fly end and the canton along the top, adjacent to the hoist end corner, were there is also a lateral tear. There are tears in two of the stars. There is an area of moderate staining along the hoist end in the canton, adjacent to the fly. There is very minor staining elsewhere. Many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age and history of use.

* It has been suggested that this location was also referred to with an abbreviated stamp that read "NYC", meaning "Navy Yard Charlestown" as opposed to "New York City". A flag with this marking is recorded in a private collection, but I have not examined it and I remain skeptical of the attribution. It seems unlikely given the use of the Boston Navy Yard verbiage.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type: Sewn flag
Star Count: 13
Earliest Date of Origin: 1863
Latest Date of Origin: 1866
State/Affiliation: Massachusetts
War Association: 1861-1865 Civil War
Price: SOLD
 

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