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  48 STARS ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG DESIGNED AND COMMISSIONED BY WAYNE WHIPPLE, AN EXTRAORDINARY DESIGN AND ONE OF JUST TWO KNOWN EXAMPLES WITH PIECED-AND-SEWN CONSTRUCTION, 1909-1912

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): Approx. 85.5" x 114.5"
Flag Size (H x L): 72.75" x 102"
Description....:
Many people are not aware that for the first 135 years of the existence of the American national flag, there was no official way to configure its stars. In 1912, that circumstance changed with an Executive Order of President William Howard Taft. Many designs were submitted, but only one today remains common knowledge among most flag enthusiasts. A Philadelphian by the name of Wayne Whipple was one person who would proceed to solidify his name in history, designing and sub-contracting for the manufacture of his own flags, to be made in what would become known as the “Whipple” pattern.

Whipple, who worked in the publishing industry and authored about 28 books, took ads to promote the pattern. He also glorified the design in a book he released called "The Story of the American Flag" (1910, Henry Altemus Company, Philadelphia). He even went so far as to distribute small parade flag / hand-waver versions in pursuit of his goal to be the first person to design the official star pattern for the American flag. Printed on cotton or silk, he took these to rallies and mailed them to influential parties, sometimes repeatedly, accompanied by letters of solicitation. Today surviving examples of these printed flags are rare and highly desired by collectors. I have been privileged to own around 12 - 14 of them and I suspect perhaps 25 - 30 might be known in total.

Only two Whipple pattern flags have thus far been discovered with pieced-and-sewn construction, as opposed to printed. One of these, measuring approximately 4.25 x 5.5 feet, was presented to President Taft by Whipple in 1913, then returned to Whipple and descended through his family. I acquired that example directly from the family and placed it in a great collection many years ago.

The flag that is the subject of this narrative is the only other known Whipple flag with sewn construction. Measuring 6 x 9.5 feet, this is the larger of the two. The construction of the two is fairly similar, in that the cantons and stripes of each are made of wool bunting and joined with machine stitching. The stars of both are of cotton. These were and double-appliquéd (applied to both sides) with a zigzag machine stitch. This is typical of the period in flags that were produced for long-term, outdoor use. The hoist of each, however, holds a key difference. On the smaller, Taft-presentation flag, the wool fabric was rolled over a cotton lining and hemmed to form an open sleeve, such that a wooden staff could be inserted, with leather tabs sewn at the top and bottom to hold the staff in place. On this, larger example, there is a sailcloth canvas binding, sewn by machine, with 7 brass grommets. The number of grommets is actually quite extraordinary. I don't recall ever encountering this many metal grommets on the hoist of any flag, no matter the scale. Typically there would be just two. Some flags would have three, but four would be especially unusual. One mostly encounters 4 on some U.S. Navy small boat flags. More than that number is almost unheard of, but is indicative of the sort of investment undertaken by Whipple. Perhaps half of his printed flags were silk and he seems to have spared little expense. He also seems to have contracted with more than one maker. Although unsigned, the silk flags appear to have been produced by Cheney Silk in Manchester, Connecticut. This was the nation's largest silk producer and they probably didn't make printed cotton flags, let alone wool flags with sewn construction. Of course, it may be that Whipple ordered the flags from a supplier of military goods and decorations, such as Horstmann Bros. in Philadelphia, who sourced them from different makers.

The star configuration that Whipple devised included 13 stars in the center, to reflect the original 13 original colonies, arranged in a six-pointed Great Star like the Shield of David (Star of David). According to Whipple, this was the most logical way to display 13 stars in a star-shaped formation. The same arrangement is present on the Great Seal of the United States, which can be most readily viewed on the back of the one dollar bill.

Surrounding the Great Star was a wreath of 25 stars to represent those states that had joined the Union through the year of our nation’s 100-year anniversary in 1876. In the outermost wreath are 10 stars for those territories that gained statehood afterward, including the final two that were ushered in under the Taft administration in 1912. Whipple’s concept was that more stars could be easily added to this widely spaced outer wreath without changing the basic design, so that the pattern was not only beautiful, but also functional for a growing nation with a flag that changed as it grew.

According to personal letters that were written by Whipple, along with correspondence between Whipple, the White House, and the War Department, Presidents Roosevelt and Taft both approved of and endorsed Whipple’s design. Whipple befriended both men, yet campaigned with Roosevelt in 1912. When it came to the final selection of an official configuration, the War Department’s recommendations drove Taft to select the rectilinear pattern of 6 rows of 8 stars.

It is of interest to note that there is photographic record of at least one large flag, in a variant of the Whipple pattern, being carried in a parade in Washington, D.C. in 1901, to celebrate the presidential inauguration of William McKinley. It is possible that Whipple saw the same flag, or one like it, and that this became the genesis for his design.

Across all of the pieced-and-sewn flags that exist in the 48 star count, the Whipple pattern doesn't only fall among the most rare and unusual, but is an easy contender in the category of most beautiful. Hardly any 48 star flags are known that do not display stars in some assemblage of linear rows; even so, the Whipple configuration is so well-balanced and attractive that it demands attention when paired with just about any star pattern of any period.

With regards to date of manufacture, Whipple's flags are also among the earliest 48 star examples. Cognizant that there were just two Western Territories yet to be added, Whipple appears to have began work on the star pattern in the period when there were 46 states (1907-1912). Though none of his actual flags are dated, some would actually pre-date the addition of New Mexico and Arizona in 1912, which brought the star count to 48.

New Mexico gained statehood on January 6th, 1912 and was followed by Arizona on February 14th (Valentine's Day). The 48 star flag became official on July 4th, 1912, and was generally used until the addition of Alaska in 1959. It was the official flag during WWI (U.S. involvement 1917-18), WWII (U.S. involvement 1941-45) and the Korean War (1950-53).

Mounting: The flag has not yet been mounted or framed. For 20 years we have operated a textile conservation business, where expert staff conserve, restore, mount and frame early flags and other related material. Having mounted and framed literally thousands of flags, we can attend to all of your needs in this regard. Feel free to inquire.

Condition: The overall condition is extraordinary and there are no condition issue worth mention.
Collector Level: Flags for the truest Patriots. My best offerings
Flag Type: Sewn flag
Star Count: 48
Earliest Date of Origin: 1909
Latest Date of Origin: 1912
State/Affiliation: Arizona
War Association:
Price: SOLD
 

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