This extraordinary flag
is one of a very rare handful of beautiful early
American flags in a pattern known as the Trumbull
Pattern, consisting of a square box of 12 stars and a
single center star. Although it's debatable
whether or not any original 13 star flags survive from
the time of the American Revolution, Colonel John
Trumbull, a famous American painter and personal
aide-de-camp to George Washington, painted at least
three revolutionary war battle scenes in the 1790's
which depicted this style of flag. As a result,
the pattern has become known among flag collectors and
scholars as the Trumbull Pattern. Ship's paintings from
the early- to mid-19th century exist that depict this
style of flag being flown from the masts and flag staffs
of early American sailing ships. It is likely,
based on the traits of its construction, that this flag
served as a ship's flag during its time of service.
The hoist of the flag consists of a sleeve through which
a rope ran. The rope eventually wore through the
top and bottom of the sleeve hoist and it's likely that
when this happened, the flag was taken out of service
and stored. The hoist is hand sewn to the flag
using a coarse hemp thread. The stars and stripes
are entirely hand sewn and the stars are
double-appliqué, which means that two sets of stars were
cut and sewn, back to back, on each side of the blue
canton. The positioning and cut of the stars is
very precise, which leads me to believe that the flag
was manufactured by a cottage industry flag maker,
rather than being homemade. The large center star
is magnificent and bold, and adds tremendous visual
impact to an already marvelous and eye-catching canton.
The discovery of any
new examples of antique 13 star flags in the Trumbull
Pattern, especially one of such an early age and in such
wonderful condition, is a thrilling occasion. Based on
it's construction, materials and pattern, the evidence
indicates that the flag is a pre-Civil War example that
dates to the period of 1845-1860, or perhaps earlier.
As of the time of this writing, I'm aware of just seven
examples of antique American flags with pieced-and-sewn
construction in the Trumbull Pattern, three of which are
in the Rare Flags collection. This flag was
found in Florida and was carefully preserved, cherished
and cared for by its finders before being acquired for
the Rare Flags collection. It is a true treasure of the
collection and a very special addition to the Rare Flags
sub-collection of early 13 Star American Flags.
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