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  RARE 48 STAR PARADE PENNANT, DESIGNED & COMMISSIONED BY WAYNE WHIPPLE

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 31.75" x 19.75"
Flag Size (H x L): 23" x 9.5"
Description....:
RARE 48 STAR PARADE PENNANT, DESIGNED & COMMISSIONED BY WAYNE WHIPPLE: Many people are not aware that for the first 135 years of the existence of the Stars and Stripes, there was no official way to configure the stars. In 1912, that circumstance changed with an executive order, signed by President Taft. Many designs were submitted to become the official design. Wayne Whipple was one of the persons who offered his opinion, and went so far as to have flags and pennants made, which he distributed liberally in pursuit of his goal. Today these small printed parade flags and pennants, made of cotton or silk between about 1909 and 1913, are extremely scarce. The configuration includes 13 stars in the center for the 13 original colonies, arranged in a 6-pointed Great Star or Star of David pattern that is seen on some early 13 star flags. Around this is a wreath of 25 stars which represent the number of additional states that had been added by the time of the nation?s Centennial Celebration in 1876. Stars could be easily added to the outer wreath of 10 stars, without changing the basic design. This was one of the reasons that Whipple felt it would be not only beautiful, but functional. This particular pennant is printed on cotton, as are all the known Whipple pennants. The star pattern is modified slightly from the flags. The wreaths are squashed into wide ovals instead of being circular. There is to date only one known example of a Whipple pattern flag with sewn construction, which was presented to President Taft by Whipple in 1913, then returned to Whipple and descended through the Whipple family. I was privileged to purchase this flag from a descendent of Whipple in 2005. According to correspondence between Whipple, the White House, the War Department, and Whipple?s family members, that accompanied the flag, Presidents Roosevelt and Taft both approved of and endorsed Whipple?s design. When it came to the final selection of an official configuration, however, following the addition of New Mexico and Arizona in 1912, the War Department?s recommendations drove Taft to select the rectilinear pattern of 6 rows of 8 stars that many of us are familiar with. Mounting: The pennant has been stitched to 100% cotton rag mat and placed in an acid-washed oak frame of the Arts & Crafts period (1890-1920). Spacers keep the textile away from the glass, which is u.v. protective. NOTE: THIS CAN BE DISPLAYED HORIZONTALLY OR VERTICALLY.
Collector Level: Intermediate-Level Collectors and Special Gifts
Flag Type: Parade flag
Star Count: 48
Earliest Date of Origin: 1909
Latest Date of Origin: 1912
State/Affiliation: Arizona
War Association:
Price: No
 

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