Flags of the American
Centennial era feature some of the most spectacular and
striking designs of any period. On today's flag, we
have standardized on straight rows of stars, carefully
placed based on specific regulations. Original
designs on flags like this beautiful 38 star double oval
medallion will likely never be made again. Several of
the medallion pattern flags in the Rare Flags collection
have variations in their cantons that makes them a
unique example of the type, and this flag is one of
them. I'm not aware of any another precisely like
it. It has a large, bold center star, surrounded by an
oval wreath of twelve smaller stars. These center
thirteen, certainly symbolic of the original thirteen
colonies, is then surrounded by a larger oval wreath of
seventeen stars, and in each corner of the canton, we
find not just one corner star as typically seen on
medallion pattern flags, but two stars, radiating out
from the center. The flag is made of richly
colored wool bunting, and has survived in a remarkable
state of preservation all these years. The stars
are hand sewn and made of cotton. The stripes and
hoist are treadle-sewn. The canton consists of
four pieces of wool bunting. The cotton hoist has
thirteen grommets, which are made of metal ringlets that
are then sewn whip-stitch style to the hoist. That
particular technique is not often seen, and the red
thread used to sew the grommets adds an interesting
visual touch to the hoist. Another great
historical attribute of this flag is that it descended
in a single family, who cared for it over several
generations. It was preserved by the Horn/Nienaber
family from the region of Woodstock, Ohio, and likely
has resided in Ohio since the time of the Centennial in
1876. It is a rare and beautiful example of flag
making and design in the Centennial era, one the most
exuberant times in 19th century America.
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