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This extraordinary flag of 13 stars in the
Trumbull Pattern is a national treasure and likely dates
to the late 18th or very early 19th century. It survives
as one of the earliest 13 star flags and a beautiful
folk art form of the American flag. The most striking
attribute of the flag is its unusually bold, nearly
pentagonal stars, which are double-appliqué, meaning
that each side of the flag has its own set of stars,
stitched back to back. Interestingly, the irregular
shape of the stars and their alignment are carefully
matched to their opposing counterpart. The stars and
hoist are made of a very finely woven cotton fabric. The
entire flag is hand stitched, and the experienced
seamstress carefully pieced and finished the seams
between the stripes on both sides of the flag. The wool
bunting appears to be a hand loomed wool, as seen in
earlier flags. The weave is especially coarse, dense,
and irregular. The red stripes are a dyed a carmine red,
having a very slight purplish tinge unlike any other
flags in the Rare Flags collection. The coloration is
indicative of a cochineal-based dye. The hoist of the
flag consists of a sleeve nearly 3 inches wide, as
expected for an 18th century or very early 19th century
flag.
The pattern of stars, a square of 12 with one center
star, is known as the Trumbull pattern after
Revolutionary War patriot and artist John Trumbull, who
painted this configuration of stars in at least three of
his works: The Battle of Princeton (1777), The Surrender
of General Burgoyne at Saratoga, New York (1777) and The
Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia,
(1781). Although it is unknown historically if this
pattern of flag was actually present at these battles,
Trumbull served as second personal aide to George
Washington and deputy adjutant-general for General
Horatio Gates, and had deep first-hand knowledge of the
war and the flags that would have been flown. He also is
known for meticulous attention to detail. Regardless of
whether or not this pattern of flag was actually present
on these battlefields, the pattern has become
permanently associated with
his name. Antique flags in the Trumbull
pattern are extremely rare. For flag
collectors, Trumbull pattern flags are one of
the rarest 13 star patterns when compared to
other 13 star patterns such as the 3-2-3-2-3
pattern or the 4-5-4. Perhaps ten or fewer
are known in the pattern, and the discovery of
any new examples, as in the case of this flag,
which formerly belonged to a judge from Texas,
is a fantastic and exciting event.
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