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  A MASTERPIECE OF FOLK ART IN EARLY FLAG-MAKING: 14 STARS AND 21 STRIPES, WHALEBONE EYELETS, A HIGHLY UNUSUAL FLAG WITH POSSIBLE VERMONT & CIVIL WAR ASSOCIATIONS

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 49.25" x 28.25"
Flag Size (H x L): 36" x 17.25"
Description....:
A MASTERPIECE OF FOLK ART IN EARLY FLAG-MAKING:
14 STARS AND 21 STRIPES, WHALEBONE EYELETS, A HIGHLY UNUSUAL FLAG WITH POSSIBLE VERMONT & CIVIL WAR ASSOCIATIONS:

Found in the famous whaling port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, this highly unusual flag with its stunning, homemade folk features, has 14 stars on one side, 10 on the other, and 21 stripes. Four-pointed stars appear in two different sizes on a canton of Prussian blue cotton. On the side that has 14 stars, 9 are relatively large, while and 5 are purposefully and significantly smaller. The reverse, also has 9 large stars, but only a single small one. This is a peculiar circumstance and seemingly difficult to understand. It is certainly possible that the flag was made by a child and that the design elements have no other purpose than necessity and a child's imagination, but another possible theory can be explained in the flowing manner.

Based on its construction the flag dates to with mid-19th century, sometime between the 1840's and the Civil War. The Civil War produced the first real boom in flag production in America. Before this time, use of the Stars & Stripes was scarce, even in military units. Though some flags were made for general public use, production was largely limited to those flags used to mark ships and garrisons.

Of the 19th century flags that survive today, there are more examples with hidden symbolism in the Civil War period than in any other. Given these facts, it seems likely that this flag could most easily be explained by a combination of the southern-exclusionary features in both its stars and its stripes, as well as by a healthy dose of state-associated patriotism, which would have been all-the-more heightened during wartime.

The fact that the canton rests on a red stripe is a rare trait. Some flag historians refer to this as the "blood stripe" or the "war stripe", suggesting the flag was sometimes constructed in this manner when the nation was at war. There is also evidence that the Navy used this design feature on at least some of its flags made during the mid-19th century; and sometimes it was certainly done by accident. But in this case I think the placement could be intentional.

The 14 stars would presumably reflect Vermont statehood. In 1791, Vermont became the first new state to join the 13 original colonies. Many 19th century flags exist with star counts fewer than what would have been official during the period in which they were produced. In such cases, flag historians generally presume these to have been made to honor that state for which the star count reflects; for example, 14 stars to represent Vermont, the 14th state to join the Union.

During the Civil War period, the fact that 5 of the stars are small could very well have been to intentionally single out those states with a distinctly Southern lean. Here 4 of these could safely be presumed to be the slave stats of Georgia, North & South Carolina, and Virginia, while the 5th might be an active border state. The two border states among the 13 colonies were Delaware and Maryland. Both contributed troops to both sides of the war, but of the two, Maryland was significantly more vocal and influential in its sympathies for the Confederacy. Maryland never officially seceded, however, so this might explain why there only one small star on the reverse; 9 large stars for the North, one small star for Maryland, and none at all for the 4 slave states.

The above theory would seem much more far-fetched if it were not for the flag's 21 stripes. This would represent a common Southern-exclusionary count. Here's how it could be calculated: At the beginning of the war there were 34 states in the Union. This number less the 11 states that officially seceded equals 23, less Kentucky and Missouri equals 21. Stars for Kentucky and Missouri are included on most Confederate flags in the battle style format (Southern Cross), because the two states were admitted into the Confederacy. Their circumstances were quite different, however, as new, Confederate governments were formed in each state, but the Union legislatures remained intact, so each state effectively had two governing bodies.

The maker of a southern-exclusionary flag could use various numbers to express his/her political position during wartime. The total was not necessarily dependent on the number of states that had officially seceded; rather on the number that the maker felt was loyal to one side or the other. The calculation is never black and white, because as time passed, the official number of seceded states grew from 7 to 11. Plus there were 5 border states by the war's end, generally in support of the South but not officially seceded and with various levels of contribution. And to complicate matters further, Kansas joined the Union just before the war started, and two states were added to the Union during the war, itself. These three were Free States, but one was loyal to the South. The situation gets even more blurry, because a star was not officially added to the national flag until the Fourth of July following a state's addition, though this rule was rarely followed, even by commercial flag-makers.

So by all accounts, the number of pro-Union states at any given time was personal to the maker rather than factual. That aside, the most often arrived at total was 21 or 22 in support of the North. President Lincoln urged the American people not to remove the stars from the flag that reflected the Southern states, because his goal was to keep the nation together. That didn't entirely prevent people from doing just that, however, especially in homemade examples, like this one.

The fact that the stripes start and end on white is extraordinarily rare and highly desired. There were supposed to be 7 red stripes and 6 white, for a total of 13, and seldom did this balance get inverted. Here, with 21 stripes on a very unusual flag, the circumstance is almost assuredly unintentional, probably driven by the fact that the selvedge (finished edge) of the woven, striped fabric happened to fall on a section that was white.

Though the presence of four-pointed stars is unusual, there was no official star pattern for American national flag until 1912. There was neither an official way to arrange the stars, nor an official shape that the stars must take. Stars with fewer or more than five points are unusual, however, and are highly desired by collectors because they often contribute substantially to folk appeal and visual impact. That is certainly the case here, where the stars also appear in a whimsical scattering on the blue canton. This random configuration is, in itself, is a rare and highly sough-after feature. When combined with the 21 narrow stripes, starting and ending on white, plus the whale bone grommets and period hemp rope with its wooden toggle, the end result is a flag that is nothing short of a folk art masterpiece among surviving examples. The flag is made of cotton and is entirely hand-sewn. The stripes are made of a woven cotton fabric that is pieced in two lateral sections. The red stripes are created by the insertion of red-dyed cotton fabric into the weave. This type of fabric is very rare in flag-making, as the stripes were usually sewn or printed. Along the hoist end are 4 whalebone eyelets or grommets, through which the original hemp rope is still inserted. Attached to this is a wooden toggle that probably served as a sailor's tool for anchoring twine. These whalebone grommets are a highly unusual, homemade feature and certainly suggest maritime or portside use.

Though cotton is a poor fabric for outdoor use signals, the flag may very well be sailor-made. Its purpose could have been for use on the pilot house of a large ship, or as the main flag on a small skiff. I suspect it was made as a gift, because it seems to have been seldom flown and well cared for.

Don't be fooled by the flag's seemingly backwards orientation. The flag ethics that we have today did not emerge until the turn-of-the-century, so before this time there was no backwards or forwards. The flag can be displayed vertically, if one wishes. In this case the canton will be in the correct, modern position (upper left). I prefer it horizontal, and the side with 14 stars is the stronger side from a visual perspective.

Mounting: The flag, rope, and toggle have been hand-sewn 100% cotton twill, black in color, which has been 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. A shadow box was created to accommodate the wooden toggle. The front is u.v. protective plexiglas.

Condition: There are no significant condition issues.
Collector Level: Flags for the truest Patriots. My best offerings
Flag Type: Sewn flag
Star Count: 14
Earliest Date of Origin: 1845
Latest Date of Origin: 1865
State/Affiliation: Vermont
War Association: 1861-1865 Civil War
Price: SOLD
 

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