 This
rare flag is one of those special few that truly have a
random arrangement of stars that defies all attempts to
find a coherent underlying geometric pattern. The
positioning of the freely rotating stars is visually
striking, producing voids and chains that lead the eye
in various directions across the canton. When
flown, this
beautiful flag must have been intriguing to observers.
While it waved in the breeze, one can
imagine people gazing up at it and desperately attempting to discern
some recognizable pattern, though none would be apparent. The
perception of motion of the stars, the actual motion of
the stars, and the rotation of the stars along their
various axis would have added an overall impression of a
random, twinkling constellation.
What inspired such a design for this flag is not known
for certain, but interestingly, printed materials of the
day, such as the covers of patriotic sheet music or
patriotic cover envelopes, often featured random stars
to give the impression of motion. Perhaps these
motifs were the inspiration for such a design for this
flag, though we will never know for certain. The
cotton stars of the flag are sewn with a treadle machine
in with stitches crossing the stars, an unusual trait
for early sewn flags from this period in which the stars
are typically hand sewn. The stripes are made of wool
bunting, and overall the construction indicates a
cottage-industry manufacturer produced the flag, rather
than being of homemade design. Yet the uniqueness
of the canton would be surprising for a manufactured
flag, adding to the intrigue of the flag. What is known
is that the flag originally belonged to Civil War
Veteran either, Edward A. Packer, Henry W. Packer, or
John O. Packer of Litchfield, Michigan. The flag was
obtained from a Michigan Packer family member, and is a
unique treasure of American Flag design.
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