Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show 2017

and certainly warrants investigation, but the broader point of my discussion is to convey that actual 18th-century Stars & Stripes are nearly unknown, especially in a format that an average person might expect to see. The Smithsonian doesn’t own one, which in itself speaks volumes, and the collection of datable 18th-century illustrations is meager at best. Many are so tiny that the patterns and even the actual star counts are difficult to discern, or the flag is waving and the configuration may have been contrived. Why are period 13 star flags so scarce? One reason is that they were not used in a way that one might expect. As previously stated, the primary purpose was for use on ships. The other important function was to identify forts and possibly other military camps/outposts. Ground regiments were, in fact, not authorized to carry it until the latter half of the 1830s. During the Revolution they sometimes may have, but it was not customary and wasn’t officially sanctioned until the Mexican War (1846–48). Continental Army Regimental banners instead displayed imagery personal to their respective units. The myriad of devices and colors employed was inconsistent in every way. There were rattlesnakes, pine trees, soldiers and British lions (usually held at sword or spear- point). There were beavers, Indians, and conjoined rings to representing the colonies. There were eagles, arrows, lightning bolts, and stags, beehives, liberty poles, and various elements of the newly designed state/colonial crests. Their range of colors spanned every hue in the rainbow. Washington at least is thought to have carried the Stars & Stripes and probably did so with some regularity. This seems logical for the command. Trumbull included Washington with it in several of his works, including The Battle of Princeton (June, 1777), The Surrender of General Burgoyne W 115 W (Figure 5) 13 star flag in a rare rendition of what has come to be known as the Trumbull pattern. This particular example was made ca. 1830–50. Artist John Trumbull, George Washington’s Aide-de-Camp, painted the general with several versions of the Stars & Stripes. Photo courtesy Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques, Inc.