Philadelphia Antiques Show 2022

90 2 0 2 2 LOAN EXH I B I T 2017 • WHAT SO PROUDLY WE HAIL In 2017—two hundred thirty years after the Constitution of the United States was written in Philadelphia—the loan exhibit featured American flags and textiles. The catchy title “What So Proudly We Hail” was borrowed (with slight modification) from the second line of the ode penned by Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) to honor the inspirational sight of our nation’s flag still flying over Baltimore’s severely bombarded Fort McHenry in 1814. Key’s poem “The Defence of Fort M’Henry” was widely published and later set to music, becoming the national anthem in 1931. The post-Civil War 1870s was a period of civic parades galore, and as the country approached its Centennial in 1876, cities like Philadelphia set about creating arms to represent it. This flag features an early variant of the arms of Philadelphia on a white field that helps to date it to around the 1874 adoption of this version of the device, which was designed by the local Union army hero Colonel Frank Marx Etting (1833-1890). According to Philadelphia City attorney and historian Sam Robinson, “The central elements of the current seal date back to the establishment of the modern government of the City in 1789. At the time of the Revolution, the City dissolved the Corporation which had governed since 1701, and in so doing cast off the various trappings of the Corporation, including its seal. It’s not clear who designed the new seal the City adopted, although it shared numerous elements with the arms designed by a three man committee including David Rittenhouse (the astronomer for whom the Square is named) and brought into use on official Commonwealth documents and currency beginning in 1777.” The City selected a shield supported by two female figures, dressed in flowing classical garb, representing Peace, on the left, and Plenty holds [the goddess Ceres], on the right. In the 1789 version of the seal, Peace holds a scroll containing Penn’s plan (and Holme’s survey) for the City, Plenty a cornucopia overflowing with produce.” http://hiddencityphila.org/2013/11/behind- philadelphia-maneto-dissecting-the-city-seal/ The seal on this particular flag presents distinct changes made by Etting in the version adopted in 1874. One is the swapping of Penn’s map for an anchor on the scroll held by Peace, and another the addition of the swag-draped streamer at the bottom with “Philadelphia” to the left and the word “Maneto” on the right, which translates Hebrews 13:1 into Latin. In the King James Bible, this reads “Let brotherly love continue.” The phrase was simultaneously adopted by City Council as Philadelphia’s motto. The white ground, the blended wool and cotton fabric, and the printed and handcolored decoration are typical for the 1870s. An open sleeve of heavy cotton twill binds the hoist, joined with treadle stitching. The flag may have been made by William H. Horstmann & Sons of No. 51 North Third Street, which provided significant military and parade Civil War accouterments and is known to have produced many printed wool flags for the Exposition. The name of a former owner is inscribed on the reverse side of the hoist binding with a dip pen: “Geo. Myers 2021 N. 22nd at Phila.” He may be George H. Myers (1840-1923) who was a member of the 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry during the Civil War and became a member of the Union League Club of Philadelphia in 1896. Flag bearing the arms of Philadelphia, about 1874-1876 Printed and hand colored wool and cotton, 24” x 41” Courtesy of Jeff Bridgman Antiques