Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show 2017

served the shortest term ever as our commander-in-chief. Though he contracted pneumonia at his inaugural speech and died just 30 days later, this beloved American figure unknowingly left behind some of the most extraordinary American flags known to exist. Thus began a sixty-five- year term in American history, during which it was perfectly acceptable for seekers of American political office to place their names, faces, and platform slogans on the much-loved symbol of our nation. Near the end of the nineteenth century, there was a growing shift in public opinion to uphold the Stars & Stripes as a sacred object, worthy of the most scrupulous ethics regarding its use and display. Attempts were made to ban the use of the flag for advertising in 1890 and 1895, but it was not until the year 1905 that Congress finally decreed that the use of text or portraits on official insignia of the United States would afterwards be outlawed. Some traditions die hard, however, and this did not entirely eliminate it. As a fellow flag scholar once memorably put it, “there were no flag police.” Later examples survive, probably made without the respective candidates’ consent, but the turn of the new century generally marked the end of an era where politicians sought to woo their constituency with bold and whimsical versions of Old Glory. In 1912, key specifications of the flag, formerly absent, were finally standardized through an Executive Order of President Howard Taft. As was the case with political flags, not all of the examples made after that year conformed to the desired intentions. A few great ones with visual complexity, text, and other interesting variations were yet to come, but that year marked a sharp juncture, at which point the flurry of interesting features that had previously frequented American flag design, effectively disappeared. It is the intent of this article to chronicle the history of our flag, focusing on design features and lesser known facts, as they relate to the sort of attributes that excite collectors of antique flags. Colonial America & The Onset of War The story of our flag’s design begins around 1765, with the birth of the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts. This famed group of colonial patriots included men such as John Hancock, Sam Adams, and Paul Revere. In response to the Stamp Act and its “taxation without representation,” the organization sought to rally support against British tyranny. It is generally agreed that in 1767, the Sons of Liberty adopted a flag with 9 vertical red and white stripes. The selection of this particular count glorifies the number of colonies that opposed the Stamp Act. Hung beneath Liberty Trees (gathering points for open air meetings) (Figure 1) Example of the first national flag of America, the “Grand Union,” made by Horstmann Bros. & Co. of Philadelphia for the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition. Photo courtesy Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques, Inc. and often displayed with Liberty Poles, flags in this design were employed by the organization in their work toward independence. While other types of flags are thought to have also been displayed, among them an all-red flag bearing the word “Liberty,” the red and white striped version is most important to this discussion because it represents the advent of this feature in Colonial American imagery. Not long after, two other symbols entered the American landscape. Around 1775, some merchant ships could be seen flying flags with 13 horizontal red and white stripes, to represent all of the colonies. These have likewise been tied to the Sons of Liberty. At about the same time, other flags began to appear that married the British Union Flag (a.k.a., the Union Jack) to the 13 stripes—sometimes in red, white, and blue instead ofmerely red and white. The “GrandUnion” is the most commonly used name for these signals, which together, presuming an array of differences often expected of the 18th century, comprise what most flag historians consider to be the first American national design. This was the flag that was thought to have been in use in the opening years of the Revolutionary War, between 1775 and 1777, under the Second Continental Congress (fig. 1). The use of heraldry was consistent with other outposts of the British Empire, which employed the Union Flag image in the canton, accompanied by a field that somehow reflected the particular dominion or territory. Often this meant a solid red, blue, or white field, adorned with the seal of the respective state. In the case of the flag representing America, there were no such arms on a solid ground, but instead 13 stripes to signify the 13 colonies. W 111 W