Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show 2017

encountered included a large eagle, standing on a globe, with wings outstretched above 34 eight-pointed stars, clearly illustrating the goal of unification. Eagles can be seen both before and after the war, but some of the most interesting are found at this time (fig. 13.5). Because the Civil War generated the production of so many more Stars & Stripes, with private individuals now flying, waving, and hanging them with far greater frequency, in addition to with regularity, plus the massive surge in military demand, the possibilities for today’s collector become far more bountiful during the Civil War and beyond. In fact, pre-Civil War flags represent about 1 percent of surviving material that is of interest to collectors. America Celebrates a Birthday The next surge in flag-related patriotism occurred during our nation’s 100-year anniversary of independence. Here was yet another time where several star counts were used, (Figure 13) 35 stars arranged to spell the word “FREE,” made for the 1864 campaign of Abraham Lincoln. Photo courtesy Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques, Inc. but the message was now generally unified. Pro-Union and pro-Southern flags existed in that era, but most of the Stars & Stripes displayed one of four star counts, including 37, 38, 39, and 13 stars. In 1876, 37 was the official count. It would remain so until July 3rd, 1877, but Colorado was admitted to the Union almost a year prior, on August 1st, 1876. Some flag-makers, seeking to distinguish themselves, selected an alternative, anticipatory count of 39 stars, to reflect what they felt was the forthcoming addition of both Colorado and the Dakota Territory. The latter of which did not achieve statehood at this time. In addition to the three above counts, 13 star flags were also made to celebrate Colonial America. It is of interest to note that this was perhaps the first time that reproductions of the Grand Union appeared, produced with similar sentiments. All sorts of star configurations are encountered at the centennial, along with text that commemorated the event. Political campaign flags were in use, and although extremely W 123 W