| ELABORATE SILK BANNER WITH GILDED TEXT, SPECTACULAR BULLION TRIM, AND A BEAUTIFULLY PAINTED RENDITION OF GEORGE WASHINGTON'S ‘PRAYER AT VALLEY FORGE,’ MADE FOR THE PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER OF THE PATRIOTIC ORDER SONS OF AMERICA FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION, IN 1901, BY ESTEEMED FLAG-MAKER LOUIS E. STILZ & BROTHERS |
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| Web ID: | pat-252 |
| Available: | On Hold |
| Frame Size (H x L): | 61.25" x 36.75" |
| Flag Size (H x L): | 40.5" x 28.5" |
| Description: | |
| Many silk banners exist that were produced in this basic format, for the many fraternal organizations that thrived during the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. Most are beautiful, but this one is extraordinary on all accounts. One of the most elaborate that I have ever encountered, it was made for the Patriotic Order Sons of America (P.O.S. of A.), a fraternal organization to whom Washington was a patron saint. The chapters of the P.O.S. of A. were, in fact, called “Washington Camps”, and lots of great folk art from this organization survives to remind us of their activities, all of which have patriotic colors or motifs of some nature. In the center of the blue silk banner is an oval medallion that contains an oil-painted vignette of George Washington's fabled “Prayer at Valley Forge.” Flanking above and below the following text: "Washington Camp. No. 483" and P.O.S. of A. Philadelphia". The reverse side of the textile is backed in red silk, on which the words and date "Instituted December 16th, 1901" are painted, adorned with decorative scrollwork. A border trimmed with some of the most fantastic metallic bullion fringe that I have ever encountered, in the form of repeating fans, runs the perimeter of the textile, which has a fancifully scalloped edge along the bottom. Blue silk tabs are affixed along the top. These hold the banner to a wooden dowel, capped with acorn-shaped brass finials. Four lengths of bullion cord taper up to a peak where the banner would be hung, and two hang down the sides, each of which is finished in an unusually elaborate bullion tassel. Bullion trimmings of this kind were produced in Paris. While their composition changed during the late 19th century, during the Civil War and prior it was actually spun from a mixed metal comprised of approximately 2% gold bullion and 98% sterling silver. The P.O.S. of A. was founded by a Philadelphia physician in 1853 and is one of America's eldest patriotic and fraternal societies that is still in existence. It once had several hundred lodges with several thousand members in the United States of America and its territories, but is now only found in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey and Louisiana. When the American Civil War (1861-1865) broke out, the first Pennsylvania volunteer regiments were members of the P.O.S. of A. So many members volunteered that only one Camp in Pennsylvania remained active. Sometimes entire chapters enrolled as one unit. The banner was made by Louis E. Stilz & Bro. (John H. Stilz), who began business as a milliner sometime around 1887, at 212 N. 9th Street, expanding shortly thereafter to regalia and military goods. Moving to 151 N. 4th St. around 1890, then 155 N. 4th St. in 1894, the firm went on to fill military contracts in 1901 for guidons (marker flags) for cavalry, artillery, and Indian scouts. It remained in that location until at least 1936, at which time the president was listed as: “L.E. Stilz, Jr.,” and its primary specialty as “flags and military goods.” A hand-painted signature at the bottom of the banner reads: “L.E. STILZ & BRO. COMPY., PHILA. PA," accompanied by the artist’s initials: "G.W.L.". The view of Washington’s Prayer at Valley Forge reproduces the view rendered in 1866 by obscure American painter and printmaker, Henry Brueckner. Like the mythicized story of George Washington cutting down the cherry tree, the account of his openly kneeling in this manner, during the harsh conditions of that particular winter, were rooted in the poetry of early Washington biographer Parson Weems (Mason Locke Weems), who is thought to have invented both tales, in hope to increase the popularity and sale of his works. Though specific biographical details, such as his exact birth and death dates, remain unknown, Brueckner was principally active in New York during the mid-to-late 19th century, with a focus of creating grand, romanticized, patriotic images that could be commercially reproduced by steel engravings, tapping into the Victorian public's appetite for dramatic scenes of early America. An engraved copy of Bruckner’s work was also produced in 1866 by prominent, New-York-based print-maker and engraver John C. McRae (1816–1892). Banners with hand-painted, portrait images of America’s beloved hero and president are exceedingly rare. All-in-all, a spectacular piece of Philadelphia-produced Americana, signed by a prolific flag-maker, with both fine and folk art attributes and with few peers in any era. Mounting: The banner has been mounted and framed within our own conservation department, led by expert staff. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of early flags and related textiles, and have framed thousands of examples. The background is 100% cotton, black in color, that has been washed and treated for color-fastness. The mount was then placed in a black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding. A shadowbox was created to accommodate the staff. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic (plexiglas). Condition: There is some splitting of the silk fabric, particularly on the reverse. Silk produced during this period was typically weighted with agents that caused it to experience some degree of breakdown. There is some minor paint loss from creasing, resulting from when the banner was rolled, but the overall condition is extraordinary considering the materials and age and the textile was obviously well cared for. There is minor professional restoration to a crease in Washington's face. |
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| Video: | |
| Collector Level: | Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything |
| Flag Type: | Sewn flag |
| Star Count: | |
| Earliest Date of Origin: | 1901 |
| Latest Date of Origin: | 1901 |
| State/Affiliation: | Pennsylvania |
| War Association: | |
| Price: | Please call (717) 676-0545 or (717) 502-1281 |
| E-mail: | info@jeffbridgman.com |
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