Jeff Bridgman Antique Flags
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  34 STARS IN 4 ROWS WITH 2 STARS OFFSET AT THE FLY END, LIKELY A UNION ARMY CAMP COLORS, OPENING TWO YEARS OF THE CIVIL WAR, 1861-1863, REFLECTS THE PERIOD WHEN KANSAS WAS THE MOST RECENT STATE TO JOIN THE UNION

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 34.5" x 50.75"
Flag Size (H x L): 23.75" x 40.25"
Description....:
34 star American national flag, printed on a wool and cotton blended fabric. The stars are arranged in 4 rows of 8, with 2 stars staggered beyond them at the fly end of the blue canton. These roughly form two exaggeratedly long, backwards-facing “C’s”. This rare arrangement was popular during the 26-star period (1837-1845), where it appears in 4 rows of 6 with 2 staggered to one side or the other, but it is seldom ever seen on flags with outside that star count.

This is the only flag I have encountered in this exact style. While this example has no known specific history, a very similar flag survives with military provenance, taken home by a Pennsylvania soldier who enlisted to reinforce the army just before the Battle of Gettysburg. The size and construction are appropriate for use as a Union Army Camp colors and that was most certainly the purpose of its manufacture. While the flag has some mothing, the pattern of tears and losses, as well as the period darning repair in the stripe field, adjacent to the canton, are consistent with field use. Used during military drilling and to mark the perimeter of a unit's encampment, camp colors in Stars & Stripes format are surprisingly rare in the antiques marketplace.

Wool content made flags more durable than those printed on silk or cotton, and was thus appropriate for longer-term outdoor use. Wool sheds water and was the best storm-worthy fabric available for flag-making in the 19th century. Printed wool flags eventually made their way to private use, but their initial purpose seems to have been for U.S. military, ground-force colors and naval ensigns.

Kansas was admitted into the Union as the 34th state on January 29th, 1861, about 2 ½ months before the Confederate assault on Fort Sumter that marked the beginning of the Civil War. The 34th star was officially added on July 4th of that year, but most flag makers would have added a 34th star with the addition of Kansas in January. The star count remained official until July 4th, 1863, and 34 star flags would have been produced until the addition of West Virginia in June of that year.

Construction: Printed on a blended wool and cotton fabric. The fly end is hemmed with treadle stitching. There is a plain weave cotton binding along the hoist end, applied with treadle stitching, with two hand-sewn, whip-stitched grommets.

It is of interest to note that a close variant of this design exists, with slightly different star orientation and with the two offset stars aligned at the hoist end instead of the fly. This style has all of the stars canted in the 11:00 position and the canton was printed separately, then joined to the striped field.

Mounting: The flag was stitched to 100% natural fabrics throughout for support. It was then sewn to a background of 100% cotton twill, black in color, which was washed to remove excess dye. An 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 black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding. The front is U.V. protective acrylic.

Condition: There is minor to significant fabric loss throughout from wear as well as mothing, accompanied by several tears. There is a period darning repair that runs in a sideways "T" shape between the 2nd and 4th stripes, next to the canton. There is minor staining throughout. Many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age and history of use. Given its use, the wear is warranted, expected, and even desired.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type: Sewn flag
Star Count: 34
Earliest Date of Origin: 1861
Latest Date of Origin: 1863
State/Affiliation: Kansas
War Association: 1861-1865 Civil War
Price: sold
 

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