| 34 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG, ONE OF JUST TWO U.S. NAVY ENSIGNS I HAVE ENCOUNTERED WITH THE BLACK-INKED STENCIL “N.Y. B.” FOR ‘NAVY YARD, BROOKLYN,’ DATED “1859,” TWO YEARS BEFORE KANSAS WAS ADMITTED AS THE 34TH STATE; MARKED WITH THE NAME OF SAMUEL B. CHILDS, A NEW YORK PHYSICIAN WHO CLERKED FOR THE NAVY, AND SON OF A CAREER NAVAL OFFICER, JAMES CHILDS, WHO SERVED FOR 60 YEARS AS A SAILMAKER (1822-1881) |
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| Web ID: | 34j-1027 |
| Available: | In Stock |
| Frame Size (H x L): | n/a |
| Flag Size (H x L): | 72.5" x 140" |
| Description: | |
| 34 star antique American flag with a number of distinguishing and rare features, both physical and historical. Made for use on a ship and measuring approximately 6 feet on the hoist by just under 12 feet on the fly, this U.S. Navy ensign is one of just two flags that I have ever encountered, either in person or in images, that bears a block-printed place of manufacture as “N.Y. B.” for “Navy Yard, Brooklyn.” The Navy made its own flags, generally speaking, during much of the 19th century through the first half of the 20th, supplementing from commercial sources when internal production capabilities failed to satisfy significantly increased demand, such as occurred during times of war. Although made at various locations, the most notable, early on, were the Navy Yards at Norfolk, Charlestown (Boston), and Brooklyn. Typically, navy flags were made by women—or that has been the supposition, with knowledge that this work was often subcontracted to mothers/sisters/wives/daughters and other relatives of Navy personnel. When photography became more common, this was also documented in photographs of flags being sewn by large groups of women on naval bases, in factory-like settings. Between the mid-1880’s and the turn-of-the-century, stencils with the date & location of manufacture began to appear on U.S. Navy flags, first from the Brooklyn yard around 1884 (no longer identified as N.Y.B., but as “Navy Yard New York”), then at other locations. Examples made prior to that time were almost never marked. This was not unique to the Navy, but reflected the rule of thumb in commercial flag-making in general. Pre-Civil War, almost nothing was signed; and since pre-1861 production of the Stars & Stripes represented just 1 – 2% of what was produced during the remainder of the 19th century, surviving examples of pre-war flags with maker-marked origin are monstrously rare, military or otherwise. Kansas was admitted into the Union as the 34th state on January 29th, 1861, about 2 ½ months before the Confederate assault on Fort Sumter that marked the beginning of the Civil War. The 34th star was officially added on July 4th of that year, but most flag makers would have added a 34th star with the addition of Kansas in January. The star count remained official until July 4th, 1863, and 34 star flags would have generally been produced until the addition of West Virginia, in June of that year. This particular flag is unique in my experience, not only because of its existence and the only 34 star flag I know of with the N.Y.B. mark, but because of the additional one that reads “1859,” two calendar years before Kansas achieved statehood. During the latter part of the 19th century, it became common to add stars to the American flag before the respective state(s) had actually been added. Fueled by popular support of manifest destiny through westward expansion and/or political support for the addition of a new state, flag-makers both at home and in commercial settings are known to have made what vexillologists now call “anticipatory flags.” The earliest example of this that I am aware of, in actual, surviving flags, appears in a variety of political campaign flag with 26 stars, made in 1844 to support the successful presidential campaign of Democrat candidate James Polk. Here a 27th star was added, in blue, on the first white stripe, next to the canton. Polk supported the notion of Texas statehood (at that time a republic unto itself). Though Florida actually entered as the 27th state before Polk took office, the presence of the additional star is similar to other messages illustrated in flags of the 1850’s. Tension over the issue of slavery grew as the long-maintained 50-50 split of Free and Slave States, maintained by the Missouri Compromise of 1820, ended with the addition of California as the 31st state in 1850. This upset the balance of power in Congress in favor of Free States. Also of direct impact were details within the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Act (also 1850), the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), and the Dred Scott decision (1857), all of which caused more ill will and anger than at almost any other point in American history. The most infamous brawl to take place on the floor of Congress occurred in 1858, incited by the proposed constitution for the Kansas Territory, that would have legalized slavery. Two pertinent examples of the Stars & Stripes exist that contain anticipatory messages for Kansas specifically. One of these, which I previously acquired and sold, displayed 31 stars plus a white, appliqued, letter "K” of the same general scale, positioned in the upper, fly-end corner of the canton, as part of a justified, lineal arrangement. A similar feature is present on a flag at the Kansas Museum of History, on which 32 stars are accompanied by a larger 33rd, with the words "Admit Me Free" arched above it. Although the use of anticipatory star counts were extremely uncommon prior to the Civil War, the 34 stars on this Brooklyn-made, U.S. Navy flag, with its “1859” date, sends a similar message, against slavery, promoting Kansas as a Free State, as part of a complete Union. Oregon entered the Union as the 33rd state on Valentine's Day, 1859. No one waited for official changes. Once Oregon was in, the 33rd star would definitely appear on a Navy-produced flag, and though unprecedented in my experience with antique American flags, Kansas would surely be the 34th displayed here. Interestingly enough, similar messages appeared in flags that actually removed stars, rather than added them. “Disunion flags,” as they were called by the press, removed the stars that represented the Slave States. 15 star flags, made in the period between 1848-1850, then 16 star flags, following the addition of California, are reported as being raised with an abolitionist message. Some of these were displayed specifically in support of John Fremont, the newly formed Republican Party’s first candidate, who ran on the anti-slavery ticket. A rare political broadside, made for the 1856 presidential campaign, displays a prominent 16 star flag, flanked by the words “All North” and “No South.” This was actually anti-Fremont, proclaiming distaste for the exclusionary message. Newspapers show that ‘Disunion flags’ could be found in geographic locations as far flung as the nation itself, from Maine to South Carolina to California. Surviving examples illustrate how acceptable they were in the North, occurring not only in privately made flags, as one might expect, but commercially-made examples as well. Though unmarked, a handful of these I have long attributed to U.S. Navy manufacture. Two specifically, in the 16 star count, are designated with navy markings, and one is dated. Like the 34 star flag that is the subject of this narrative, one of the two U.S. Navy 16’s, formerly in the collection of Tom Connolly, represents the only other flag I have seen with a block-printed mark that reads “N.Y. B.” (Brooklyn), though instead of the date “1859,” it instead reads “1857.” A distinctive black misprint before the numeral “1” is present on both flags, meaning they were stamped with the same block. The other 16-star Navy flag, formerly in the collection of the Star Spangled Banner House, sold by that museum to collector Ben Zaricor, is the only flag I have ever encountered with the block-printed mark “N.Y. C.” for “Navy Yard, Charlestown” (Boston). While undated, this flag contains additional block-printing that reads “6 Ft” and “Boat Ensign.” The Connelly example has additional printing of the same style that reads “8 Ft” and “American Ensign.” Because the slave trade had been illegal since 1807, and the U.S. Navy clashed with slave trading vessels, having little to do outside times of war but police American interests, it seems likely that an anti-Southern message was being sent. A signature on this 34-star example reads "S.B. Childs," followed by two addresses, one of which is “498 Classon Ave.” and the other at “470 Grand Ave.” Born in Brooklyn, Dr. Samuel B. Childs (1843-1919) attended grade school there, moving to Portsmouth New Hampshire, where he graduated from high school in the midst of the Civil War, in 1863, and for the next 3 years clerked for the U.S. Navy at the Portsmouth yard (residing in Kittery, Maine, where its residential quarters were located). Returning to New York, he Childs graduated from NYU Medical School in 1869, established a practice in Brooklyn and remained there until his death. Both of the addresses on the flag represent primary Brooklyn residences. At some point Samuel Childs met and befriended Theodore Roosevelt, mentioned as such in his obituary. His mother, Harriet Woods, or perhaps Wood (unclear) may have been a relative of one of TR’s closest friends, New Hampshire-born physician turned U.S. Army colonel, Leonard Wood. As both Samuel and his first wife Josephine Brown, were physicians, the association may have been professional, or it may have been Navy-oriented. In 1897, President William McKinley appointed Roosevelt Secretary of the Navy, a post he resigned the year after to join Col. Wood’s Rough Riders. Give his family association with the Navy, it is extremely likely that Childs, as a man of prominent education and wealth, was a Union League Club member in Brooklyn, in which case he would have almost certainly known Roosevelt, who was aa regular at the Union League Club in Manhattan. Samuel’s father was a Marylander who joined the Navy in 1822. In 1826 he was commissioned as an officer, and was in for 60 years, employed all of that time in the task of "sailmaker," reporting himself in this manner in the census. 1822 was an unusual time to enter Navy service in early America, being outside wartime. I have to expect that James Childs was one of, if not the eldest Navy man in continuous service when he passed in 1881. He appears to have served most of his career in New York, though he was called to Portsmouth around 1860 and seems to have gone back and forth throughout the Civil War. Returning to Brooklyn, he remained there until he passed. Although the specific history of the flag is unknown, it is very possible that, being a sailmaker, James Childs actually made it. He was at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1859. In 1820, outside wartime, the number of sailmakers employed at the yard seems to have been limited to 4 civilians. This certainly may have changed by 1859, but perhaps not massively. In any event, as an officer, and undoubtedly the eldest sailmaker, Childs is likely to have been both in charge of all related operations and the only non-civilian serving in that capacity. Construction: The stars of the flag are made of plain weave cotton, hand-sewn, and double-appliqued (applied to both sides). Note how these are oriented in various directions on their vertical axis, which adds an interesting visual feature to the flag’s appearance. The stars are arranged in columns, the first of which contains one fewer star and is staggered between the remainder, at the hoist end. Note how this configuration, it's turned on end, forms a large letter “U.” This may be purely coincidental, or it may be purposeful, as a U for “Union.” Hidden and otherwise subtle symbolism was present in many American flags of this general era, as suggested in the star count of this 1859-dated example. The canton and stripes of the flag are made of wool bunting that has been pieced and joined by treadle or crank-handle stitching. Much of this was completed with a chain stitch, which isn’t commonly seen. When present in wartime flags, it tends to appear in flags made near the end of the war, in the 35 star period. This manner of stitch is said to have been prevalent in most of the earliest machines of the 1850’s, which were crank-handle operated. These comprised most of the commercial models employed of that time. Whatever the case may be with regard to the reason behind its use on this particular flag, the Brooklyn Yard is likely to have had access to more advanced equipment than other locations. Because this manner of stitch used far more thread than a traditional, lineal stitch, it was abandoned by most makers during heavy, wartime production and is seldom seen in 34 star examples. Why it occasionally appears late war, is not well understood. The fly end of the flag was hemmed with that combination of hand and treadle stitching. The two, rectangular, hand-sewn patches in the upper and lower, fly-end corners are called gussets. These were added for strength at points where the flag would receive the most wear. There is a coarsely-woven linen or hemp binding along the hoist, in the form of an open sleeve, through which a braided rope was passed for hoisting. This was typical of ship’s ensigns of this scale and greater. The sleeve was applied to the body of the flag with heavy cord, by way of hand-stitching. This end of the wool bunting was turned over and bound by hand, and folded back onto itself, doubling up the fabric where it is attached to the binding, and exposed so that part of the full can be seen. This is common in U.S. Navy flags of the period. In addition to the aforementioned block printing and hand written inscriptions, a catalogue number: “MUS-9012-HO.” was inscribed on the binding with a felt-tip pen, in a manner typical of museum cataloguing during the latter half of the 20th century. Mounting: The flag has not yet been mounted. Condition: One of my conservators successfully removed a very heavy layer of crusted white paint to find the Brooklyn yard markings underneath. At approximately 4 inches less than the regulation specifications on the fly measurement, it may be that the flag was turned back and rebound, in order to repair damage of some sort at the fly end. If so, this is not immediately apparent. Otherwise the overall condition is exceptional for a wool flag of the mid-19th century, especially in this scale, with but a small tear along the lower edge, extremely minor mothing, and little to no soiling. |
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| Video: | |
| Collector Level: | Flags for the truest Patriots. My best offerings |
| Flag Type: | Sewn flag |
| Star Count: | 34 |
| Earliest Date of Origin: | 1859 |
| Latest Date of Origin: | 1859 |
| State/Affiliation: | Kansas |
| War Association: | 1861-1865 Civil War |
| Price: | Please call (717) 676-0545 or (717) 502-1281 |
| E-mail: | info@jeffbridgman.com |
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