| FRANCO-AMERICAN TEXTILE WITH THE IMAGE OF AN EAGLE SUPPORTING KNOTTED & DRAPED AMERICAN AND FRENCH FLAGS BENEATH FOUR WAR PLANES; RENDERED IN EMBROIDERED SILK FLOSS AND METALLIC BULLION ON SILK, MADE TO CELEBRATE THE END OF WWI |
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| Web ID: | pat-535 |
| Available: | In Stock |
| Frame Size (H x L): | 37" x 41.25" |
| Flag Size (H x L): | 28" x 32" |
| Description: | |
| “Souvenir of France” patriotic textile, made for the American G.I. market at the end of WWI (U.S. involvement 1917-1918). Sold as a decorative pillow top, or simply as a whimsy to be framed, the textile is made of silk with a fringe that is constructed of elaborately woven, metallic bullion lace with swag and floral designs. The French were master producers of bullion notions of this sort and Paris had been the leading source for more than 150 years. Oval in shape, the decorative imagery and text were embroidered with a combination of both silk floss and metallic bullion thread on a silk ground. The central device consists of a spread-winged eagle carrying American and French flags, knotted together in solidarity. These appear in a draped and billowing format that follows the oval perimeter in a visually compelling fashion. Rays of sunshine rise from above the Union of flags to symbolize the new dawn that followed victory of the Allied Forces. These reach into a symbolic sky with four war planes to represent America’s role in the liberation of France, interspersed with an oval wreath of laurel leaves. The presence of aircraft in WWI imagery on a textile of this sort is extremely rare. While I have seen numerous other works of the same general sort--no two of which are alike in my experience--this is, hands-down, the most beautiful one that I have ever encountered, due to the artistic strength of the overall presentation, the quality of the purposefully textured embroidery, the extraordinary trim, in a style I have never before seen, and the prominent illustration of war planes in the first American war where they played a role. Note: The design of the aircraft is likely to have been based on French monoplane models produced by Morane beginning in 1911 (the Morane-Borel “Parasol” or “Type A”), which won a race from Paris – Madrid in that year. One of the fastest designs of this very early era in commercial aeronautics, the closely related Morane-Saulnier “Type L” were in use at least as early as the war’s opening year in Europe, 1914, three years before the United States joined the war. This aircraft was also being sold to Britain, and was produced under license in Germany, and so was being flown by forces on either side of the war. 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 programs. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and related textiles and have preserved thousands of examples. The textile was mounted and framed by us in-house. The background is 100% cotton twill, black in color, that has been washed and treated for colorfastness. The mount was then placed in a black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding. The glazing is U.V. protective acrylic (Plexiglas). Feel free to contact us for more details. Condition: There is extremely minor oxidation, but there are no significant condition issues. |
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| Video: | |
| Collector Level: | Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything |
| Flag Type: | |
| Star Count: | |
| Earliest Date of Origin: | 1917 |
| Latest Date of Origin: | 1918 |
| State/Affiliation: | |
| War Association: | WW 1 |
| Price: | Please call (717) 676-0545 or (717) 502-1281 |
| E-mail: | info@jeffbridgman.com |
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