Rare 81-Star "1776-1876" Centennial American Parade Flag

Presented is a stunning 13-star American parade flag, dating to 1860. The wool flag has 13 hand-sewn cotton stars with truncated tips. The stars are configured in the “Third Maryland” or “Cowpens” pattern, consisting of a 12-star wreath surrounding a large central star. The flag design is completed with 13 red and white alternating stripes and a white cotton hoist. The flag’s hoist has “Lafayette Post 140” stenciled in selvage. The “Third Maryland” star pattern of a 12-star wreath surrounding a central star is associated with an early 13-star flag that was long thought to have been carried by William Batchelor of the 3rd Maryland Regiment at the Battle of Cowpens during the American Revolution. The flag, now in the collection of the Maryland State Archives, was later discovered by Smithosian experts to date to the mid-19th century. But this particular star pattern is forever linked to that particular 13-star flag and the wreath and central star configuration is still referred to as a “Third Maryland” or “Cowpens” style among dealers and collectors. Thirteen star flags with the “Third Maryland” pattern are among the scarcest and most desired by collectors of early American flag...

This is a striking 38-star American flag. The flag dates to 1876-1890, when Colorado (represented by the large star in the center of the flag’s canton) joined the Union as the 38th s...

This is a beautifully colored 38-star American parade flag, flown at a public reception for Ulysses S. Grant in October of 1880. This printed flag features a rare, triple medallion s...

This is an original 46-Star American parade flag, celebrating Oklahoma statehood. Each star on the flag's canton represents a state in the Union at the time. The official flag design would update every July 4th, to include any new states added to the Union in the past year. Oklahoma, the 46th state, entered the Union on November 16, 1907. As such, this 46–star flag was the official flag of the United States from July 4, 1908, until July 4, 1912. The silk flag has a dark blue canton with 46 white printed stars. The stars are printed in an 7-8-8-8-8-7 row configuration, or “Drum design.” The flag design is completed with 13 alternating red and white stripes, each stripe representing one of the original thirteen colonies. The land that comprises Oklahoma today was added to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Throughout the 19th century, the U.S. government relocated Indian tribes from the southeastern United States to the area, and by 1900, over 30 Indian tribes had been moved to what was originally called the Indian Territories. At the same time, ranchers in Texas began to move into the area in search of new pasture lands. Although stipulations in the Indian Relocation Act agreed that the land would forever be Indian Territory, the promise of fertile farmland trumped the government’s promise of sovereignty. On April 22, 1889, they opened the land to settlement by homesteaders, creating a land run in which settlers, called “Boomers,” were allowed to cross the Texas or Arkansas border at a particular hour to claim homesteads. Settlers who illegally crossed the border earlier to stake prime land were called “sooners,” which eventually became the state’s nickname. Wagons and the Santa Fe railroad carried cartloads of men and women to blank town sites and building plots, creating ten thousand-people communities in a matter of days. The following year, the region was further divided into Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory...

38 STARS IN AN EXTREMELY UNUSUAL CONFIGURATION THAT BEARS A CLUSTER OF 6 SMALL STARS WITHIN A LINEAL PATTERN OF LARGER STARS, 1876-1889, COLORADO STATEHOOD 38 star American national parade flag, printed on cotton. This is an extremely rare example of a lineal pattern flag with a wreath or cluster of smaller stars inserted in the center. A very small number of flags in this style are known to have survived, the colors of which are typically saturated and vibrant, like this example, in scarlet red and rich, royal blue. The particular wreath in the center of the configuration is really more of a pentagon with a single, center star. The reason for the choice of the design and 6 smaller stars seems a curious one on the surface, but its purpose was probably nothing more than to simply augment a 36 star print block to one with 38 stars. One may observe how 4 stars, that would have comprised the center of a 6 x 6 pattern, could have simply been removed and 6 smaller stars inserted in their place, in an artful fashion. At least two other similar 38-star patterns are known that incorporate 4 small stars intermingled between rows of what most certainly were two very similar 34-star flag print blocks originally. It was easier to modify these blocks rather than create brand new ones. In these particular instances, the results are rare, quirky configurations that are highly prized by collectors. Colorado became the 38th state on August 1st, 1876. This was the year of our nation’s 100-year anniversary of independence. Per the Third Flag Act of 1818, stars were not officially added until the 4th of July following a state's addition. For this reason, 37 was the official star count for the American flag in 1876. Flag-making was a competitive venture, however, and few flag-makers would have been continuing to produce 37 star flags when their competitors were making 38’s. It is for this reason that 38 and 13 stars (to represent the original 13 colonies) are more often seen at the Centennial International Exposition, the six-month long World’s Fair held in Philadelphia in honor of the event. Some flag-makers would have been adding a star for the 38th state even before it entered the Union, in the early part of 1876 or even prior. In fact, many makers of parade flags were actually producing 39 star flags, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of two more Western Territories instead of one. But the 39th state would not join the Union for another 13 years, when the Dakota Territory entered as two states on the same day. The 38 star flag became official on July 4th, 1877 and was generally used until the addition of the Dakotas in 1889. Provenance: Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques to the late collector Jim Ring...

38 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN PARADE FLAG WITH JUSTIFIED ROWS OF 7-6-6-6-6-7 AND SCATTERED STAR ORIENTATION, MADE DURING THE PERIOD WHEN COLORADO WAS THE MOST RECENT STATE TO JOIN THE UNION, 1876-1889 38 star American national parade flag, printed on coarse cotton, possibly with flax content. One of the flag’s most interesting features is the wild sweep of the grain of the fabric, the warp and weft of which are anything but perpendicular. The stars are arranged in justified rows of 7-6-6-6-6-7. This results in a secondary pattern that I commonly call a “box-in-a-box-in-a-box”, because of the way in which the seemingly haphazard arrangement creates three consecutive squares. Note how the stars point in various directions on their vertical axis, which adds a nice element of folk quality to the overall design. Most parade flags in this star count have red stripes that lean heavily toward orange, with a vibrant, chromatic luster. This was common across printed flags produced between the 1850's and the 38 star period, phasing out in the last decade of the 19th century. Also note how the wear and patina contribute to an endearing presentation that displays its long-term use gracefully. Colorado became the 38th state on August 1st, 1876. This was the year of our nation’s 100-year anniversary of independence. Per the Third Flag Act of 1818, stars were not officially added until the 4th of July following a state's addition. For this reason, 37 was the official star count for the American flag in 1876. In the latter 19th century, it became common to add stars before the respective state(s) had even entered the Union. No one cared what was official, not even the military, where the matter of practicality with regard to flags always seems to have outweighed regulations. In the private sector, commercial flag-making was a competitive venture. Few flag-makers continued to produce 37 star flags when their competitors had jumped the star count to 38. It is for this reason that 38 and 13 stars (to represent the original 13 colonies) are more often seen at the Centennial International Exposition, the six-month long World’s Fair, held in Philadelphia, that served as the nucleus of the national celebration. Some makers of printed parade flags actually began to produce 39 star flags in 1876, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of two more Western Territories instead of one. The 39th state would not join the Union for another 13 years, however, when the Dakota Territory—thought to be coming as a single state—entered as two separate states on November 2nd, 1889. The 38 star flag generally fell out of production at that time, though it technically remained official until July 3rd, 1890. President Ulysses S. Grant was in office when the first 38 star flags would have appeared. The list of presidents that served during the period when the 38 star flag was official include Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield...

38 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH SCATTERED STAR POSITIONING MADE DURING THE PERIOD WHEN COLORADO WAS THE MOST RECENT STATE TO JOIN THE UNION, 1876-1889 38 star American national p...

38 STARS IN A MEDALLION CONFIGURATION WITH 2 OUTLIERS, ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH VIBRANT COLORATION, REFLECTS COLORADO STATEHOOD, 1876-1889, ILLUSTRATED IN “THE STARS & STRIPES: FABRIC OF THE AMERICAN SPIRIT” by RICHARD PIERCE, 2005 38 star American parade flag, printed on coarse, glazed cotton. The stars are arranged in a triple-wreath form of the medallion configuration, with a single center star and two stars flanking outside the basic pattern, toward the fly end. Most circular medallion patterns of this sort exhibit four flanking stars beyond the consecutive wreaths, one in each corner. The inclusion of only two was intentional, allowing for the easy addition of two more stars. Flag-makers knew that more Western Territories were soon to be added and eagerly anticipated their arrival. Use of fewer than four outliers was popular in 38 star parade flags, but is rarely encountered in other star counts. Note how the vibrant, chromatic luster of the orange stripes provides striking contrast with the blue canton, and how this contributes to the flag's beautiful presentation. Many parade flags in this star count have red stripes that lean heavily toward orange. This was common across printed flags produced between the 1850's and the 38 star period, phasing out in the last decade of the 19th century. Colorado became the 38th state on August 1st, 1876. This was the year of our nation’s 100-year anniversary of independence. Per the Third Flag Act of 1818, stars were not officially added until the 4th of July following a state's addition. For this reason, 37 was the official star count for the American flag in 1876. Flag-making was a competitive venture, however, and few flag-makers would have been continuing to produce 37 star flags when their competitors were making 38’s. It is for this reason that 38 and 13 stars (to represent the original 13 colonies) are more often seen at the Centennial International Exposition, the six-month long World’s Fair held in Philadelphia in honor of the event. Some flag-makers would have been adding a star for the 38th state even before it entered the Union, in the early part of 1876 or even prior. In fact, many makers of parade flags were actually producing 39 star flags, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of two more Western Territories instead of one. But the 39th state would not join the Union for another 13 years, when the Dakota Territory entered as two states on the same day. The 38 star flag generally fell from use at that time, though it technically remained official until July 3rd, 1890. President Ulysses S. Grant was in office when the first 38 star flags would have appeared. The list of presidents serving during the period when the 38 star flag was actually official, include Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield...