Jeff Bridgman Antique Flags
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  34 STARS ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG, PRINTED ON SILK, WITH "DANCING" OR "TUMBLING" ORIENTATION, CIVIL WAR PERIOD, 1861-1863, REFLECTS THE ADDITION OF KANSAS TO THE UNION AS A FREE STATE

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 36" x 47.25"
Flag Size (H x L): 24.5" x 36"
Description....:
34 star American national flag, printed on silk, with beautiful colors and interesting visual features. Note how the stars, which are arranged in linear rows of 7-7-6-7-7, are oriented consecutively point-up, point down in their vertical alignment on the cornflower blue canton, resulting in what I call “tumbling” or “dancing” formation. While some varieties are seen with greater frequency, this particular variety of 34 star flag is quite rare. Twenty years ago I might expect to encounter one of these every two years or so, but their scarcity has increased significantly.

I believe that this style of flag, in this design, was sometimes sold to the Union Army as flank markers or camp colors. I owned an example of the same exact type, with overprinted text for a Pennsylvania volunteer regiment. The material is very fine and would not have sustained hard use, and this may explain why so few have survived. It is likely that flags in this style were simultaneously sold for whatever purpose the buyer wished. Like many printed silk flags, these probably saw short-term use at parades and political events, as well as in service as props for commercial photographers shooting portraits of Civil War soldiers. Whatever the case may be, the size is excellent, being small enough to be easily framed and displayed, yet large enough to make a substantial impact, great for both serious collectors and one-time buyers alike.

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 generally been produced until the addition of West Virginia in June of that year.

Mounting: This is a pressure-mount between 100% cotton twill, black in color, and U.V. protective plexiglass. The black fabric has been washed to reduce 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 placed in a black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding.

Condition: The overall condition is nothing short of extraordinary for a silk flag of this period, equivalent of what I would call a 9.8 or 9.9-out-of-10. There is a scattering of tiny holes, mostly pin-prick-sized, in the lower, fly end corner of the striped field, and there are a few of the same sort elsewhere throughout. There is a tiny tear along the lower edge of the last red stripe, below the canton, and there is a tiny vertical split near the center of the same stripe. There is exceptionally minor foxing and staining.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type: Parade 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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