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Vintage c. 1940s–early 1950s Amalgamated Meat Cutters & Butcher Workmen Local 195 A.F.L. labor union banner from Philadelphia. Features individually cut and sewn/appliquéd red fabric lettering with decorative fringe — not screen printed. Has not been altered or cleaned to preserve condition
Condition: Displays beautifully with authentic age wear, including staining/discoloration, creasing, fringe wear, a tear at the upper flagpole opening, and lower-edge tear/seam separation as pictured. Uncleaned and unrestored. Please review all photos closely.
Vintage Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America Local 195 A.F.L. union banner.
Wonderful piece of early American labor and trade-union history featuring large red applied lettering on a yellow textile ground with decorative blue-edged fringe along the bottom.
The banner reads:
GENTILE
BUTCHER WORKMEN
of N.A.
LOCAL - 195
A.F.L.
Local 195 was associated with the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. Based on the A.F.L. identification and period construction, this appears to date to approximately the 1940s/early 1950s, prior to the AFL-CIO era.
The lettering is individually applied and stitched to the banner rather than simply printed on the fabric. This is a substantial vintage display piece with excellent visual character and would make a fantastic addition to a collection of labor-union memorabilia, butcher/meat-industry history, Philadelphia history, folk art, or early American advertising and trade material.
Sold as pictured.
