| PATRIOTIC WEST POINT WINDOW BANNER, PROBABLY MADE AROUND THE TIME OF U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN WWI (1917-18), A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE WITH THE ACADEMY CREST & A SALMON RED BINDING |
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| Web ID: | pat-722 |
| Available: | In Stock |
| Frame Size (H x L): | 17.25" x 14.75" |
| Flag Size (H x L): | 11" x 8.25" |
| Description: | |
| Small window banner, made for the United States Military Academy at West Point, printed with five different pigments onto a black felt ground. A length of salmon red felt reinforces the top edge, so that the textile could be tacked to a fixed structure or a wooden staff. This is a great, early example, produced in the manner of the first felt pennants, which appeared around 1908. Made to be hung in the window of a cadet’s family, the production and use of this particular form probably emerged with the advent of son-in-service banners, in 1917, the opening year of U.S. involvement in WWI. Such textiles, in various forms, were hung in the windows of families with a child in active wartime service. A West Point banner such as this might have been expected to be displayed alongside a service banner, but could, of course, be hung whenever or wherever the buyer chose, with pride of the achievement of admission or graduation from the Academy. The central device on the banner is the Academy's coat of arms. This consists of a spread winged eagle, perched upon a federal shield, gripping a fanned array of oak leaves and arrows. Emerging from behind the eagle is a billowing streamer that reads: "Duty, Honor, Country" the Academy's motto, with “West Point,” followed by the date of its founding in Roman numerals, "1802," and “U.S.M.A.” A sword and the helmet of Athena, Greek Goddess of War, are superimposed upon the shield. The three-sided border includes images of golden yellow rope with tassels and fringe. Golden yellow text, arched along the top register, reads “West Point” in a stylized Roman font. This style of banner, with an almost identical border, served as a basic template that the maker (unidentified) employed for various purposes, altering the text and device. An almost identical version of this banner was made to promote the 1928 presidential campaign of Catholic New Yorker Al Smith, with his portrait image cradled between crossed flags. A very similar design, with a slightly different border, was produced with varied images and text for both the 1936 and 1940 presidential campaigns of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This is among the earliest banners of this type that I have encountered and the only one with a red felt binding, which is particularly attractive. Many display a loose interpretation of the federal arms, instead of that of the academy itself. The graphics, colors, and age of this particular example make it the best of its kind that I have personally seen. Mounting: For 25 years we have maintained our own textile conservation department, led by a master’s degree level graduate from one of the nation’s top university programs. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and related textiles and have preserved thousands of examples. The banner has been hand-stitched to 100% hemp fabric, ivory in color. The mount was placed in a black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding, to which a cove-shaped molding, very dark brown in color, almost black, with reddish undertones and highlights, was added as a liner. Spacers keep the textile away from the glazing, which is U.V. protective glass. Condition: Modest but especially attractive fading of the red pigment. Otherwise excellent. |
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| Collector Level: | Intermediate-Level Collectors and Special Gifts |
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| Earliest Date of Origin: | 1915 |
| Latest Date of Origin: | 1920 |
| State/Affiliation: | New York |
| War Association: | WW 1 |
| Price: | Please call (717) 676-0545 or (717) 502-1281 |
| E-mail: | info@jeffbridgman.com |
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