Union Jack Suitcase, England, c. 1930

This is a beautiful Union Jack parade flag, dating from the early 1950s, during the early years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The flag is printed on cotton, with machine-sewn hemmed...

CAST IRON BOOT JACK, MADE FOR THE 1864 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF GENERAL GEORGE B. MC CLELLAN, WITH A FANTASTIC SLOGAN THAT READS "THE UNION AT ALL HAZZARDS" Made for the 1864 presidential run of George B. McClellan, this cast iron bootjack is both rare and graphically exceptional. Displaying the original black-painted surface, with attractive and desirable patina, the stylized profile has a wonderful folk art quality. Molded block letters that wrap around the heel clasp read simply "Gen. Mc Clellan. These are accompanied by a prominent Civil War-associated slogan: "The Union at all Hazards." The text is intermingled with 34 stars, which was equivalent to the number of states during the opening two years of the war, but was one star short by mid-1863 and two stars short by the time of the actual election in 1864. It's not unusual to encounter this feature in civil war campaign parade flags as well as all manner of flag-related ephemera. The iron was reportedly cast by G. & D. Cross of Morrisville, New York, though it is unsigned and I have not yet verified the attribution. I have seen two other examples, one of which had a broken and repaired tine on the U-shaped horns and newly painted surface, while the other appeared to have broken lifters and inferior, rusted patina. This is, hands-down, the best of the identified examples. Brief History of the 1864 Campaign: President Abraham Lincoln had a checkered relationship with his 1864 opponent, who he had formerly chosen as General-in-Chief of the entire Union Army. The career officer repeatedly knocked heads with his Commander-in-Chief. Having raised a well-trained and organized military force, McClellan often seemed reluctant to use it. By 1862, after losses in Virginia during the Peninsula Campaign, Lincoln grew frustrated with McClellan and the progression of the war and removed him from command. By the early part of 1864 the American people shared some of the same frustrations and Lincoln was no longer the clear choice for the White House. The nation was tired of war and the remains of the Democratic Party...

48 STAR U.S. NAVY JACK, MARKED AS HAVING BEEN FLOWN ON THE U.S.S. FT. MANDAN, LAUNCHED NEAR THE END OF WWII, IN 1945, WITH SERVICE DURING BOTH THE KOREAN AND VIETNAM WAR ERAS, IN THE...

Indiana State Flag With Square-like Proportions, An Offset Device, And Gold Fringe, Circa 1930-1955: Despite the fact that most of the United States joined the Union during the 18...

This is a printed silk handkerchief from the interwar period, with an Italian aviation theme. This handkerchief features four early aircraft plane models, two of which are seaplanes. The inner field of the handkerchief is pale blue and contained by a black three-line waving border. The outer field is medium blue, with a darker blue at each corner. A white and black fasces rests in each corner. The center of the silk features a golden spread-wing eagle. Above the eagle’s head floats a gold crown. The eagle’s talons grip a shield printed with the Savoy arms, a white cross on a red field. Two gold fasces adorn either side of the shield. In most historical accounts of the early days of military aviation, our reverence for the activities of the American Expeditionary Force and its French and British companions-in-arms on the western front has led us to overlook the immense Italian contribution to the formation of airpower doctrine. The first aerial force projection occurred on Nov. 1, 1911, when Lt. Giulio Gravotta, flying a German-built monoplane, dropped one bomb on Zard and another on Taciura -- in Libya -- during the Italian-Turkish War. This event occurred just a little more than a year after the first flight of an Italian-designed and built aircraft. At about the same time, Gianni Caproni, a young Italian engineer with a passion for innovation and a vast admiration for the Wright brothers, built his first flying machine. By May 23, 1915, the day Italy entered World War I, Caproni had become Italy's leading aircraft designer and manufacturer. Caprooni designed and built a multi-engine bomber with range and bomb capacities to make it a potent offensive weapon. On Aug. 20, 1915, two of these Caproni three-engine bombers attacked the Aisovizza aerodrome with explosive and incendiary bombs, a preview of the most sustained, effective air offensive of the First World War. By early 1916, regular raids against Austro-Hungarian targets were being conducted by seven squadrons of Caproni bombers, with some 540 bombing missions flown by the year's end. Missions were on the increase, both in distance to targets and number of aircraft involved. In late 1917, due to the lack of suitable training facilities in the United States, a contingent of some 500 Americans were sent to Foggia, Italy, to learn military flying. After completing their training, the new pilots were commissioned in the Army Air Service, and the majority of them were sent to France to serve with the American Expeditionary Force. About 75 remained in Italy under the command of Capt. Fiorello LaGuardia...

Ghana, 1930s-1950s Asafo flag “The train is always ready to go” in cotton applique patters. Trains were a dramatic expression of power, regularity and reliability and as such were ...