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  38 HAND-SEWN STARS STITCHED WITH BROWN THREAD TO A STEEL BLUE CANTON, AN ANTIQUE MERICAN FLAG WITH EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION, COLORADO STATEHOOD, 1876-1889

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): Approx. 61.5" x 94"
Flag Size (H x L): 50.5" x 82.75"
Description....:
38 star American national flag with some interesting, attractive features and in an exceptional state of preservation. The stars of the flag are arranged in justified rows of 8-7-8-7-8. These are made of cotton, hand-sewn, and double-appliquéd (applied to both sides) to a canton made of wool bunting that has modestly faded to an attractive blue-grey. The thread used to perform the appliqué work is brown in color, which lends them an earlier appearance and makes a positive impact on the flag's presentation. This sort of feature appears to connoisseurs of early American textiles.

The stripes of the flag are made of wool bunting and piece with treadle stitching. There is a twill cotton binding along the hoist, treadle-sewn and with having two brass grommets. The numerals "4" and "7" are stenciled near the top of the hoist on the obverse side in black ink, separated by a Maltese cross. This notates the original intended size as 4 x 7 feet.

Colorado became 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 was the official star count for the American flag in 1876. Flag-making was a competitive venture, however, and few flag-makers would have been continuing to produce 37 star flags when their competitors were making 38’s. It is for this reason that 38 and 13 stars (to represent the original 13 colonies) are more often seen at the Centennial International Exposition, the six-month long World’s Fair held in Philadelphia in honor of the event. Some flag-makers would have been adding a star for the 38th state even before it entered the Union, in the early part of 1876 or even prior. In fact, many makers of parade flags were actually producing 39 star flags, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of two more Western Territories instead of one. But the 39th state would not join the Union for another 13 years, when the Dakota Territory entered as two states on the same day. The 38 star flag became official on July 4th, 1877 and was generally used until the addition of the Dakotas in 1889.

President Ulysses S. Grant was in office when the first 38 star flags would have appeared. The list of presidents serving during the period when the 38 star flag was actually official include Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland, and Benjamin Harrison.

Mounting: The flag has been hand-stitched to 100% silk organza for support on every seam and throughout the star field. It was then be hand-stitched to 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 glazing is U.V. protective acrylic.

Condition: Excellent for the period with only the most minor mothing.
Collector Level: Intermediate-Level Collectors and Special Gifts
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: SOLD
 

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