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 The
William Henry Harrison printed parade flags of the 1840
presidential election represent the earliest use of the American flag in
presidential campaign politics. They are among the
earliest and rarest printed parade flags ever made.
There are versions of these printed flags that feature
variations of Harrison's portrait, his Ohio log cabin, a
large multicolored campaign ball, and some that just
feature campaign slogans for Harrison and his running
mate, John Tyler. While all examples of the type are rare in the extreme,
this particular example is in nearly immaculate
condition, and appears much as it would have looked
when it was first made over 160 years ago. The
flag, which is printed on fine silk, features a 13 star
canton in the form of a wreath of 12 stars and a large
center star. This pattern of the 13 star flag is
known as the Cowpens or 3rd Maryland pattern, and its
use on early American flags is both scarce and desirable
among collectors.The portrait of Benjamin Harrison, in his general's
uniform, with 13 stars arched above his shoulders, is
extremely folky and wonderful. This portrait
representation of Harrison is also known to have been
used on other non-flag textiles of the period, but its
presence on such an early pre-Civil War American flag is
especially rare. The writing on the flag, "THE
HERO OF TIPPECANOE", alludes to Harrison's success at
the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, against the Shawnee
Indians led by Tecumseh and his brother, Tenskwatawa.
Following the battle, Harrison became known by the
nickname "Tippecanoe", and even at the time of the 1840
election, nearly 40 years later, the slogans "Tippecanoe
and Tyler Too", and "The Hero of Tippecanoe", stood to
represent Harrison's famous success as a military leader
in battle. Harrison won the election of 1840 and
became the 9th President of the United States, but
tragically, he fell ill and died just 32 days into his
presidency having the shortest term of any president and
becoming the first president to die in office. This rare example of a Harrison
portrait flag with the Hero of Tippecanoe motto is one
of the finest of its type to survive. |
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12 Stars, Entirely Hand Sewn
A Navy Small Boat Ensign |
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