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  RARE "OHIO FARMER" SLOGAN KERCHIEF FROM THE 1840 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 39.75" x 34.5"
Flag Size (H x L): 28.25" x 22.25"
Description....:
RARE "OHIO FARMER" SLOGAN KERCHIEF FROM THE 1840 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON:

Extraordinary, rare, political campaign kerchief, printed on silk, made for the 1840 presidential run of William Henry Harrison. The large, center medallion image is one that appears on a tiny handful of known kerchiefs from the 1840 campaign, but none of these has the same, splendid, royal blue border as this one, which survives in splendid condition. While Harrison was wealthy and maintained residence in Indiana in an expansive home, he drew upon his Ohio roots and his humble log cabin birthplace in order to portray himself as a man of the common people. While images of a log cabin are common across surviving items from Harrison's campaign regalia of ribbons, pinbacks, kerchiefs, banners, and flags, not all of these objects had images. So the presence of the log cabin is important, as is the hatless portrait figure of the future president, extending his hand to a wounded soldier on the stoop of his open door [note that the soldier is missing a leg and stands on a crutch]. Another commonality across Harrison campaign imagery is the hard cider barrel that stands to the right of the door, while a guest partakes in a free draught. Democrats were critical of the Whig Party candidate, stating that if you give him a $2,000 pension and a barrel of hard cider, he'd never leave his house, but his portrayal as a man of the rough-and-tumble west won nation-wide support.

It is the "Ohio Farmer" slogan, however, that is perhaps the textile's most important trait. This slogan is particularly rare and desired among Harrison textiles and when combined with the excellent graphics and colors present here, creates a gem among surviving Harrison bandannas. The 6-color format is very unusual and each shade would have had to be individually printed. Three related examples of Harrison kerchief are pictured in "Threads of History: Americana Recorded on Cloth, 1775 to the Present", by Herbert Ridgeway Collins, (1979, Smithsonian Press) items 125, 126, and 129, p. 99-100. This is the best text on American political textiles. Collins formerly served as Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian Institution. Before 1840, it was considered in poor taste for presidential candidates to campaign for the office. This is why Harrison's kerchiefs, flags, and banners are among the earliest known to exist. Kerchiefs are known for only two earlier presidents, Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams. The Adams example appears to be an inaugural souvenir, because the text that appears in its repeating circular medallions reads "His Excellency; John Quincy Adams" [see Collins, item 66, p. 76]. It is unclear if the two known Jackson pieces are celebratory or campaign pieces [see one example in Collins, item 69, p. 77, the other is known but undocumented]. So Harrison's kerchiefs are potentially the first ever distributed to try to get a candidate elected.

The son of a wealthy Virginia plantation family, Harrison had a successful military career and is most famous for a battle with a feared American Indian chief, Tecumseh, on the banks of the Tippecanoe River in 1811. Many Harrison objects display another of his famous slogans, "Hero of Tippicanoe". He afterwards became secretary of the Northwest Territory, then governor of the subsequently divided Indiana Territory. His 20-room, 13-fireplace, Indiana home, was called Grouseland, was hardly a cabin in any sense, and became a focal point of life in the expanding west. There he met with Indian tribes, managed the many affairs of his governorship, and invited townspeople to seek refuge during Indian attacks. He afterwards moved to Ohio and would serve that state in the U.S. Senate.

Martin Van Buren, Harrison's Democrat opponent, came off as an aristocrat and subsequently lost the election. But things would not go well for the newly elected president. Harrison, at the age of 68, was a long-winded speaker. He went to his inauguration without a topcoat and droned on for an hour and forty-five minutes in a snowstorm, before greeting guests and remaining outdoors for a prolonged period. He subsequently caught pneumonia and died just 30 days after taking office.

Vice President, John Tyler, was chosen for the ticket because he was a Southerner and thus balanced the interests of slave owners. Tyler finished out his 4-year term but was generally unsuccessful in the White House, unpopular, and did not seek reelection.

Mounting: The frame is an extraordinary ca 1800 example with lap-jointed, pegged construction. The original surface consists of black paint on the wide, flat liner and a gold outer cove. The textile is preserved with a combination stitch-mount and sandwich-mount. The background is 100% hemp fabric. 100% cotton quilt batting was used for a pillow-mount. The front is U.V. protective acrylic.

Condition: There is very minor staining throughout, accompanied by more moderate staining at the extreme left border. There are very minor holes. The fabric appears, like most Harrison textiles, to have been made of unweighted silk, absent of the mineral salts or other agents that made it heavier, acidic, and prone to breakdown. There are some pencil marks above and to the left of the medallion that appear to be an "X" and "Y" and an "S". It is unclear what these were intended to represent. The overall condition is especially good for such an early campaign textile and scores a 9-out-of-10 when compared to other surviving examples.
Collector Level: Flags for the truest Patriots. My best offerings
Flag Type:
Star Count:
Earliest Date of Origin: 1840
Latest Date of Origin: 1840
State/Affiliation: Ohio
War Association: 1777-1860 Pre-Civil War
Price: SOLD
 

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