| 38 HAND-SEWN STARS ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG IN AN EXTRAORDINARILY TINY SCALE AMONG ITS PIECED-AND-SEWN COUNTERPARTS, MADE AT THE TIME WHEN COLORADO WAS THE MOST RECENT STATE TO JOIN THE UNION, 1876-1889; PROBABLY MADE BY THE ANNIN COMPANY IN NEW YORK CITY, SIGNED BY MEMBERS OF THE GRIMES & JOHNSON FAMILIES OF CANANDAIGUA, NEW YORK |
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| Web ID: | 38j-1158 |
| Available: | In Stock |
| Frame Size (H x L): | Approx. 35" x 47.5" |
| Flag Size (H x L): | 23" x 35.25" |
| Description: | |
| 38 star American national flag, with hand-sewn stars, in an extraordinarily small scale among its pieced-and-sewn counterparts of the 19th century. Likely made by the Annin Company in New York City, the flag was handed down through the Grimes and Johnson families of Canandaigua, New York. In the 19th century, commercially-made examples of the Stars & Stripes, with sewn (as opposed to printed) construction, were typically eight feet long and larger. In the 1890’s this began to shift a bit, and much smaller, 13 star examples began to appear, with their star count to reflect the original 13 colonies. But it wasn’t until the 48 star period until flags with the full star count, like this 38 star example, began to be produced in any significant quantity, with lengths of 3-4 feet on the fly. At just under 2 x 3 feet, this is an exceptionally tiny sewn flag, for the period in which it was made. I have never before encountered an example in this scale, made of wool bunting, with cotton stars, in the most traditional fabrics for an American flag made for outdoor use. With the exception of military guidons, that were generally made of silk, I have never seen anything in this size, in a Stars & Stripes format American flag, with sewn construction, produced by a professional flag-maker. Because collectors typically have size constraints in terms of display, this is an extremely desirable feature. Colorado joined the Union as the 38th state on August 1st, 1876. This was the year of our nation’s 100-year anniversary of independence. Per the Third Flag Act of 1818, stars were not officially added until the 4th of July following a state's addition. For this reason, 37 remained the official star count until July 4th, 1877. Flag-making was a competitive venture, however, and no one cared what was official. As soon as it was suspected that a new state was coming, stars were added by the makers of flags, both public and private. Some would have begun adding a star for the 38th state before it even entered the Union, in the early part of 1876. And almost none continued to produce 37 star flags, when their competitors were making 38’s. It is for this reason that flags with 38 and 13 stars, to reflect the original 13 colonies, are most frequently encountered at the Centennial International Exposition, the six-month long World’s Fair, held in Philadelphia, that served as the nucleus of the national celebration. It is of interest to note that many makers of printed parade flags were actually producing 39 star examples in that same year, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of two more Western Territories instead of just one. The 39th state would not join the Union for another 13 years, however, when the Dakota Territory, entered as two states (numbers 39 and 40) on the same day, on November 2nd, 1889. Montana entered just a few days later, on November 8th, followed by Washington State on November 11th. So within a period of just 9 days, 4 new states had joined the Union. It was at this time that the 38 star flag fell from regular use. The stars of the flag are made of cotton, hand-sewn, and double-appliquéd. This means that they were applied to both sides of the blue canton. The stars are arranged in staggered lineal rows in counts of 8-7-8-7-8, which is a traditional arrangement for the 38 star count, and, when viewed in a horizontal format, all of the stars are oriented in an upright position on their vertical axis, with one point directed toward 12:00. The stars are applied with thread that is either black, or navy blue that has darkened and faded towards black over time. The stripes and canton of the flag are made of wool bunting that has been pieced with treadle stitching. This combination of hand-sewn stars and treadle-sewn stripes is typical of the period. There is a linen or hemp binding along the hoist, applied with treadle stitching, with two brass grommets, one each at the extreme top and bottom. Along this, on the obverse, the numeral “3” is stenciled in black pigment, to indicate the length of the flag in feet, on the fly. Although unsigned, everything about the flag is indicative of the Annin Company in New York City, and I would make an educated guess that this is their work. Like all major flag-makers of this era, the application of maker's marks and signatures on Annin flags was very inconsistent. Two names are inscribed on the reverse of the binding, near the center. These include “H.N. Grimes,” and “G.B. Johnson.” Both men, father and son-in-law, a grocer and a United States Postal Clerk, respectively, lived and worked in Canandaigua, New York (Ontario County). Hollister Nahum Grimes (b. Dec. 12, 1841, d. Nov. 13th, 1891), operated a grocery and dry goods business, selling wholesale and retail from a storefront at 168 Main Street. Called “N. Grimes & Son,” the business had a large and very graphic ad in the 1870 Ontario County Business Directory. George Booth Johnson (b. 1869 – d. 1928) married Ella Louise Grimes (b. Oct. 1, 1870, d. Sept. 2nd, 1961), the daughter of Hollister Grimes and his wife Ella I. (Nellie) (b. 1844, d. 1914). It seems likely that the flag was used to celebrate the 1876 centennial specifically. Found among family artifacts, including a family Bible, genealogical information, recorded in the Bible, was transposed to typewritten text when the flag was sold at auction in Pen Yan, New York, in 1991. Further research was conducted to verify names, dates, etc. All-in-all, a very rare flag, due to the tiny scale, with beautifully hand-sewn stars and in remarkable condition for the period, with known history of ownership. Mounting: The flag was mounted and framed within our own conservation department, which is led by expert staff. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and have framed thousands of examples. The background is 100% cotton twill, black in color, that has been washed and treated for colorfastness. The black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed molding is Italian. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic (Plexiglas). Feel free to contact us for more details. Condition: There is extremely minor mothing in limited areas. There is minor, golden brown oxidation in the hoist binding and there is very minor soiling and oxidation in the stars, as well as in an the last white stripe. |
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| Video: | |
| Collector Level: | Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything |
| Flag Type: | Sewn flag |
| Star Count: | 38 |
| Earliest Date of Origin: | 1876 |
| Latest Date of Origin: | 1889 |
| State/Affiliation: | Colorado |
| War Association: | 1866-1890 Indian Wars |
| Price: | Please call (717) 676-0545 or (717) 502-1281 |
| E-mail: | info@jeffbridgman.com |
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