Jeff Bridgman Antique Flags
Sold Flags



  48 STAR FLAG, CANTON RESTING ON THE WAR STRIPE, MADE IN FRANCE DURING WWII TO WELCOME U.S. TROOPS INTO EPINAL IN 1944, FOLLOWING LIBERATION

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 36.5" x 41.5"
Flag Size (H x L): 25.5" x 30"
Description....:
"SOLDAT BIENVENU, MERCI": 48 STAR FLAG, CANTON RESTING ON THE WAR STRIPE, MADE IN FRANCE DURING WWII TO WELCOME U.S. TROOPS INTO EPINAL IN 1944, FOLLOWING LIBERATION:

Hand-made, 48 star American national flag with wonderful folk qualities, a rare feature, and intriguing verbal history. It was acquired by a friend of mine, from friends of his wife in France, whom she had lived with during a student exchange program many years ago. The flag is said to have remained in an attic of a home in Epinal since 1944, put away there after it was hand-made by a local citizen and waved to welcome U.S. Troops into the region following liberation. Epinal is located in the Northeastern corner of the country and serves as the capital of the Vosges department. It was liberated from the Nazis by General Patch and the 7th Army Division on Sept. 24th of that year. There is an American military cemetery on the outskirts of the town, where 5,255 American servicemen are interred. Most of these were the result of fatalities sustained in the region and beyond, as U.S. Troops pushed northward into Germany.

Having owned several examples of flags of the same genre, made in Europe to welcome U.S. Troops, similar characteristics were readily apparent. Like other European-made Stars & Stripes that I have encountered from the First and Second World Wars, this one is one-sided and obviously homemade. Unlike American and British-made U.S. National flags, which were readily available and produced in factory settings, this flag is basically square in its proportions and its stars lack the usual shape. Fat like starfish and endearingly irregular, note how the 6 rows of 8 are slanted at an angle. The combination of all these things results in very attractive folk features that are pleasing to the eye.

Further, and even more interesting, the canton rests on a red stripe. Some flag historians refer to this rare trait as the "blood stripe" or the "war stripe", suggesting the flag was sometimes constructed in this manner when the nation was at war. Sometimes the placement was certainly accidental, and it can logically be guessed that the French were unfamiliar with such subtle design intricacies of the Stars & Stripes. Even so, with regard to homemade flags produced during either of the World Wars, there seems to have been an unusual propensity to lay out the stripes in this fashion. But whatever the case may be, purposeful or accidental, the war stripe feature is present on very few flags, results in an interesting visual difference, and is highly prized by collectors.

The flag is made entirely of cotton. The stripes were pieced primarily by machine, but the outer edges were bound by hand. The edges of the stars were not folded under. Left raw to exposure, they frayed in an attractive fashion. These are the kinds of homemade features that make such examples more interesting.

The 47th and 48th states, New Mexico and Arizona, entered the Union in 1912. The 48 star flag became official in that year and was generally used until the addition of Alaska in 1959.

Mounting: The flag has been hand-stitched to 100% silk organza on every seam for support. The flag was then stitched to a background of 100% cotton, black in color. The background fabric was washed to remove excess dye. An acid-free agent was added to the wash to further set the dye, and the fabric was heat-treated for the same purpose. The mount was then placed in a black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding. The front is u.v. protective acrylic.

Condition: There is minor staining and fading, but there are no serious condition issues.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
Flag Type: Sewn flag
Star Count: 48
Earliest Date of Origin: 1944
Latest Date of Origin: 1944
State/Affiliation: Arizona
War Association: WW 2
Price: SOLD
 

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