Jeff Bridgman Antique Flags
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  38 STARS IN A MEDALLION CONFIGURATION WITH 2 OUTLIERS, ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH VIBRANT COLORATION, REFLECTS THE PERIOD WHEN COLORADO WAS THE MOST RECENT STATE TO JOIN THE UNION, circa 1876-1889; FORMERLY IN THE COLLECTION OF RICHARD PIERCE, ILLUSTRATED IN HIS BOOK: “THE STARS & STRIPES: FABRIC OF THE AMERICAN SPIRIT” (2005)

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 19" x 15.5"
Flag Size (H x L): 12.5" x 8"
Description....:
38 star American parade flag, printed on coarse, glazed cotton. The stars are arranged in a triple-wreath form of the medallion configuration, with a single center star and two stars flanking outside the basic pattern, toward the fly end. Most circular medallion patterns of this sort exhibit four flanking stars beyond the consecutive wreaths, one in each corner. The inclusion of only two was intentional, allowing for the easy addition of two more stars. Flag-makers knew that more Western Territories were soon to be added and eagerly anticipated their arrival. Use of fewer than four outliers was popular in 38 star parade flags, but is rarely encountered in other star counts.

Note how the vibrant, chromatic luster of the orange stripes provides striking contrast with the blue canton, and how this contributes to the flag's beautiful presentation. Many parade flags in this star count have red stripes that lean heavily toward orange. This was common across printed flags produced between the 1850's and the 38 star period, phasing out in the last decade of the 19th century.

Colorado became the 38th state on August 1st, 1876. This was the year of our nation’s 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 often 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, the latter 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.

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.

Provenance: Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques to collector Jim Ring; Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques to collector Richard Pierce. This exact flag was pictured on page 27 of "The Stars & The Stripes: Fabric of the American Spirit" by Richard Pierce (published by Richard Pierce, 2005).

Mounting: The flag was mounted and framed in-house. For 25 years we have maintained our own specialized department for this purpose and our lead conservator holds a master's degree in textile conservation from one of the nation’s top programs. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and related textiles and have preserved thousands of examples.

The has been hand-stitched to a background of 100% hemp fabric. The mount was then placed in a solid walnut molding, with its original, gilded liner, that dates to the period between 1870 and 1890. Spacers keep the textile away from the glazing, which is U.V. protective glass.

Condition: There is minor foxing and staining throughout and there is very minor pigment loss in the canton. There are very minor tears where the flag was affixed to its original wooden staff. Many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age and evidence of use.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type: Parade 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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