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  RARE, SWALLOWTAIL FORMAT, 1876 CENTENNIAL BANNER, WITH PATRIOTIC PHRASES, AN EAGLE, CARRYING THE LIBERTY BELL AMIDST TIPPED FLAGS OF 6 NATIONS, AND 13 LARGE, RED STARS, ALL SET WITHIN A BLUE BORDER WITH 38 WHITE STARS

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 40.5" x 28.5"
Flag Size (H x L): 29.25" x 17.5"
Description....:
Patriotic banner, printed on cotton, made for the celebration of our nation’s 100th anniversary of independence. The imagery consists of a spread winged eagle carrying the Liberty Bell, with the date of “1776” above it and “1876” below. In the mouth of the eagle is a red banner with the familiar phrase “E Pluribus Unum” (out of many, one) and behind are six national flags, including those of France, Ireland, Germany, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States. Note, in particular, what appears to be a rare, snowflake medallion configuration of stars, present in the canton of the Stars & Stripes.

Flanking the central device are 13 large, salmon red stars that commemorate the original 13 colonies, and bold, black text that reads:

Centennial Union.
It Proclaimed Liberty in 1776.
Let it Proclaim Peace and Unity in 1876.

A blue border with 38 white stars surrounds the perimeter of the textile. These represent the 37 official stars on the flag in 1876, plus a 38th for the state of Colorado, which joined the Union on August 1st of that year.

Below and to the left of the French colors, the word copyrighted appears in parenthesis. It was likely made by the American Flag Company in New York City, is a rare example, and one of the most elaborate. Most of the printed, banner-like textiles made in this era share a tapered, swallowtail format.

A variant of this banner also exists in a rectangular, horizontal format. While all of the known vertical, swallowtail examples have red stars, and almost all of the horizontal examples do as well, at least one of the horizontal examples is known with yellow stars.

Mounting: The banner has been mounted and framed within our own conservation department, which is led by expert trained staff. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and have framed thousands of examples.

The background is 100% cotton twill, black in color, that has been washed and treated for colorfastness. The black-painted and hand-gilded molding, with its wide, shaped profile, is Italian. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic (Plexiglas). Feel free to contact us for more details.

Condition: There is minor to moderate water staining throughout and moderate fading. There are tack holes along the top edge, where the flag was once affixed to its original wooden staff, and additional tearing at the left, top corner, with a modest nick in the border just below it. There are two, modest, horizontal tears within the lower, right-hand swallowtail, and small tack holes on the bottom corners. There is a small rust stain along the inner edge of the left-hand swallowtail. The scarcity of this banner, in addition to its great design, warrants the condition.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type: Parade flag
Star Count: 38
Earliest Date of Origin: 1876
Latest Date of Origin: 1876
State/Affiliation:
War Association:
Price: SOLD
 

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