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CIVIL WAR CAMP COLORS, 34 STARS, 1861-1864, PRESS-DYED ON WOOL BUNTING, EXTREMELY RARE
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Description: |
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Civil War period, Union Army camp colors in Stars & Stripes format are extremely rare in the antiques marketplace. I have only seen a tiny handful of examples. These small flags, generally the smallest used for military purposes, stood outside tents to mark Union encampments. Their staffs were rather massive by contrast. Some were thick, tapered at both ends, and stood about eight feet in height. The staff either fit completely through a wide sleeve of the flag along its hoist end, or, as would have been the case here, the hoist end was simply wrapped around the staff and tacked in and nailed in place with flat-headed upholstery tacks.
Each of the press-dyed camp colors like this that I have encountered has had 34 stars that were in rows of 7, 7, 6, 7, 7. They exist in at least two formats, one of which has all of its stars canted at a slight angle, with a single point in the 1:00 position. The other is illustrated on this example, in which the stars are �tumbling� or �dancing�. This is a term I use to describe stars that are arranged in lineal rows, but are varied from one to the next in their vertical alignment, point-up, point-down, consecutively.
Flags that exhibit wartime military use are few and far between in the marketplace. Note the losses at the top and bottom of the hoist end and between them in the center, where the flag was obviously tacked to its staff and flown for an extended period. The tear in the 2nd white stripe is probably also from use in the field.
Camp colors are a great addition to any flag collection because of their tremendous, small, displayable size, their great rarity, and the fact that they can occasionally be found exhibiting wartime use. Civil War examples are particularly great because of the importance of the event in American history.
Kansas was admitted into the Union as the 34th state on January 29th, 1861, about 2 � months before the Confederate assault on Fort Sumter that marked the beginning of the Civil War. The 34th star was officially added on July 4th of that year, but most flag makers would have added a 34th star with the addition of Kansas in January. The star count remained official until July 4th, 1863, and 34 star flags would have been produced until the addition of West Virginia in June of that year.
Construction: Press-dyed wool bunting with a treadle-sewn binding at both the hoist and fly ends.
Mounting: The flag has been hand-stitched to 100% silk taffeta, red in color, for support. Strips of off-white silk were placed behind the white stripes to strengthen their color against the red silk. Period wool was used for masking purposes behind the largest hole, which is located near the fly end of the 2nd white stripe. It was then hand-sewn to background of 100% hemp fabric. The flag was then placed in a hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding with a substantial, wide, convex profile. The front is u.v. protective plexiglas.
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| Inventory Number: |
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Dealer |
Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques, llc |
| Contact |
Jeff Bridgman |
Phone: (717) 502-1281 |
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| Period: |
19th Century (1801-1900) |
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| Date: |
1861-1865 |
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| Origin: |
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| Condition: |
There is scattered mothing throughout, accompanied by some soiling. There is an area of loss about the size of a quarter near the fly end of the 2nd white stripe. There are losses at the top and bottom of the hoist end and between them in the center, where the flag was obviously tacked to its staff and flown for an extended period. Many of my clients love early flags to show their age, especially when they exhibit wartime use, like this example. |
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| Measurements: |
Frame: 31.25" x 44.25" Flag: 19.25" x 32" |
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| Inventory |
Other Inventory by this Dealer |
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| Web-site: |
http://www.jeffbridgman.com |
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| Price: |
SOLD |
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| E-mail: |
Inquire
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