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The story with this flag is it’s lived almost its whole life in Washington DC. The owner I purchased it from in her words said - “The flag came from DC They found in attic at 228 Capital in DC across the from Shakespeare theater in DC”.
Now of course I can’t confirm the authenticity of that but I personally trusted her as she told many stories about her time living in our nations capitol.
This 13 star American national flag, made in the era of the 1876 centennial of American independence, with beautifully sewn stars. The stars look machine sewn so possible late 1800s to early 1900s production. These are arranged in a medallion pattern that features a wreath of 8 stars, surrounding a single, center star, with a flanking star in each corner of the blue canton. This attractive design emerged during the Civil War and became very popular afterwards, especially on small, hand-held, printed flags, made for the celebration of our nation’s 100th anniversary. It is much more scarce, however, in flags of the centennial era with pieced-and-sewn construction, like this example.
The stars of the flag are made of cotton, sewn, and double-appliquéd (applied to both sides). The canton and stripes of the flag are made of wool bunting that has been pieced and joined with treadle stitching. There is a twill cotton binding along the hoist with two brass grommets, through which blue cotton ties were threaded and knotted, in order that the flag could be affixed to a staff.
At just 2x3 feet, the small scale of the flag itself is very desirable. Prior to the last decade of the 19th century, most flags made for extended outdoor use were very large. Those with pieced-and-sewn construction were generally eight feet long and larger. This is because flags needed to be seen from a distance to be effective in their purpose as signals. Today their use is more often decorative and the general display of patriotism. Smaller flags exist in the early periods, but they are the exception as opposed to the rule. A six-foot example is small among flags of those that pre-date 1890, and they smaller they are, the more unusual they are.
Why 13 Stars?
13 star flags have been continuously produced throughout our nation’s history for purposes both patriotic and utilitarian. This was the original number of stars on the American flag, representing the original 13 colonies, so it was appropriate for any flag made in conjunction with celebrations of American independence.
In addition to use at the 1876 centennial, 13 star flags were hoisted at patriotic events, including Lafayette’s visit in 1824-25, the sesquicentennial in 1926, and celebrations of July 4th. They were displayed during the Civil War, to reference past struggles for American liberty and victory over oppression, and were used by 19th century politicians while campaigning for the same reason.
13 star flags were flown by American ships both private and federal. The U.S. Navy used 13 stars on the ensigns made for small boats, because they wished the stars to be easily discerned at a distance. As the number of stars grew with the addition of new states, it became more and more difficult to fit stars on a small flag so that they may be viewed from afar as individual objects. Because any star count that has previously been official remains so today according to the Congressional flag acts, all 13 star flags in an otherwise appropriate design remain official flags of the United States.
Collector Level: Advanced Collectors and the Person with Everything
I will package well and ship right away. Thank you!
