Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show 2017

The Grand Union went by many names. 19th-century flag historians seem to have preferred the term “Continental Grand Union,” but this language is not found in 18th-century documents or literature. In the period, it was simply referred to as the “Continental” or “Union” flag. In the 21st century, some flag experts prefer the term “Continental Colors,” of which this was certainly one and, in a modern context, what is thought to be the most important one, but critics argue that the term is simply too generic. Some historians have cited that the first record of the use of the Grand Union as a national ensign can be found in an illustration of Philadelphia from the Delaware Riv- er by George Heap, published by British engraver Gerald van der Gucht in 1754 (fig. 2). Vexillologist Peter Ansoff cleverly discovered, however, that van der Gucht had simply copied the ships from an older engraving that he executed of Mumbai Harbor in Bombay, India. At least one ship in that scene is believed to have belonged to the East India Compa- ny, whose private merchant ensign happens to share the same graphics as the Grand Union. Because the East India Com- pany traded with America, some historians have suggested that the design of the flag was an inspiration for the Stars & Stripes. Whatever the case may be, after close examination of the Philadelphia engraving, I discovered that the illustra- tions show numerous flags that appear at first glance to have striped fields, but in reality the stripes are merely shading, applied on almost every surface to show contrast. The flags are probably British Red Ensigns. The first documented appearance of the Grand Union design as colonial American colors, occurred in Philadelphia on December 3rd, 1775, when it was raised by First Lieutenant John Paul Jones over the Continental Navy’s first flagship, “Alfred.” This act was recorded in letters to Congress. Identification of continental ships was the reason that a new flag would soon be adopted, removing British symbolism, for sustained use in the war and beyond. Unlike the Navy, American ground forces did not customarily carry a national flag until much later. In his book Standards and Colors of the American Revolution (1982, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia), author Edward Richardson states the following: “When the fighting began in 1775, and militia units from the various colonies joined together in besieging the British garrison at Boston, the Continental Congress voted to take all such troops into the services of the United Provinces of North America and appointed Washington as their Commander in Chief. There was no United Colonies flag at the time.” This appears to have soon changed. In a January 4th, 1776 letter addressed to Congressional Delegate Joseph Reed of Pennsylvania, Washington reported for the first time that he “hoisted the Union flag in compliment to the United Colonies.” This had occurred on January 1st, 1776, at Cambridge. While some flag historians have argued that he was actually describing a British Red Ensign, Washington’s words seem to suggest otherwise. Further, since the Red Ensign was often displayed by the British Army, bearing no American symbolism, the Grand Union was a far better representation of the colonies, as well as a better signal to differentiate the opposing armies. Richardson confirms that “The Continental Union [flag] was a natural selection for the Americans in 1775. It did not signify rebellion but rather continued loyalty to the mother country.” Not all Americans were ready to abandon family heritage and tradition. The same thing would occur almost 100 years later, during the American Civil War, when Southerners were loathe to abandon the Stars & Stripes. After all, it was their flag too and, in many cases, had been so for a very long time. For this reason, variations of it were sometimes produced in the South, near the beginning of the war, which augmented the star and/or stripe count to represent the Confederacy. In addition, the first official flag of the Confederacy looked a great deal like the Stars & Stripes—so much so, in fact, that it had to be altered to reduce the risk of confusion on the battlefield (fig. 3). A New Constellation If you query any given educated person as to the date upon which the Stars & Stripes officially replaced the Grand Union, a knee-jerk response might be July 4th, 1776. That was my initial guess, back when I didn’t know the answer. Sadly, I was already in the antiques business at the time and had been a collector of many things since childhood. I had also been on more battlefield tours as a child than I can clearly remember. For these reasons I was embarrassed to discover that I had never actually considered the question and, while I had naturally heard of Flag Day, I had never made the connection that in retrospect seems painfully obvious. I was certain that most people could not explain what Flag Day was, let alone recall the day and month it took place. Like many Americans, I had simply taken for granted that the flag must have arrived with the signing W 112 W (Figure 2) ​Philadelphia from the Dela- ware River by George Heap, published by British engraver Gerald van der Gucht in 1754. Photo courtesy Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.