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  RARE 13 STAR FLAG IN THE TRUMBULL PATTERN WITH A HUGE CENTER STAR

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): n/a
Flag Size (H x L): 58" x 101"
Description....:
13 STARS IN THE RARE TRUMBULL PATTERN, CENTENNIAL - SPAN-AM WAR (1876-1898):

Rare, homemade American national flag with what is known as the Trumbull pattern of 13 stars. This beautiful and very rare star arrangement is comprised of a box of 12 stars around the perimeter of the canton, which surrounds a single, center star. The design was named after the revolutionary war officer, John Trumbull, who served as George Washington's aide-de-camp before becoming an accomplished painter of miniature portraits and landscapes, and of larger (though often criticized) historical American scenes and portraits. Flags with the "Trumbull" configuration appear in at least three of his works, including The Battle of Princeton (June, 1777), The Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga, New York (October, 1777) and one of two versions of The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, (October 1781). None of these views were sketched or painted in first person, so it is uncertain whether the designs of the American flags in these particular paintings bore any direct relationship to flags that were actually present at each engagement. Trumbull was, however, known for his attention to detail. In his landmark book, Standards and Colors of the American Revolution, noted flag historian Edward Richardson describes Trumbull as "meticulous to the accuracy of uniforms and accoutrements; therefore, the flags depicted in [his] paintings should be considered as accurate versions of the time. Yet because Trumbull painted the flag differently in his 1787 version of the Cornwallis' surrender, than he did in his version done about three years later, one can not be certain of the design of the Stars & Stripes that was actually present at this event. Whatever the case may be, the square medallion configuration of the stars in some of Trumbull's flags has permanently associated his name with this exceedingly scarce and highly sought-after pattern.

More information to follow...

Only a tiny number of Trumbull-pattern 13 star flags exist, fewer than fifteen that I have encountered. They vary greatly in size.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type: Sewn flag
Star Count: 13
Earliest Date of Origin: 1876
Latest Date of Origin: 1898
State/Affiliation: 13 Original Colonies
War Association: 1866-1889 Indian Wars
Price: SOLD
 

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