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Official U.S. Military
Battle Standards from the mid-19th century typically featured eagles or
state seals which were painted onto silk. However, by
the late 19th century and early 20th century, the
practice of finely embroidering the eagles and unit
designations on military flags became prevalent.
Starting in the early 20th century official regimental
and battalion standards were hand-embroidered at the
Quartermaster Philadelphia Depot, which to this day
continues to hand-embroider U.S. Presidential and
executive branch flags for use by the U.S. Government.
 This
rare U.S. Army Field Artillery flag has a label inside the hoist
which reads "PHILA. DEPOT Q.M.C. Dec 17, 1920 F
CARMICHAEL Forewoman". Amazingly, we know not only
the precise date this flag was completed, but also the
name of the seamstress who embroidered the flag.
The quality of the embroidery on these flags is
tremendous, and other flags in the Rare Flags
collection, including the Model 1904
Regimental Color of
the 328th Infantry Regiment and the
Battalion Color of
1st Battalion, 314th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry
Division have hand-embroidered eagles of the
same extraordinary quality and care. Flags such as these
could take weeks, or in some cases even months, to
complete.
This flag is a "blank"
flag, in that it does not have a scroll ribbon with a
unit name embroidered below the eagle. Typically, flags
were made at the depot and embroidered with a unit
designation once it was issued to a specific unit. Army
branches such as infantry, artillery, and cavalry each
have a specific branch color, and the red color of this
flag indicates that it was made issue to an artillery
unit. Given the flag's size, which is smaller than those
issued to a regiment, it is likely a battalion flag.
Flags of this
importance and extraordinary quality seldom surface.
It is in exceptional condition for a silk flag that is
100 years old, with only minor staining and a few very
small holes. It is a beautiful flag in all regards, and
is a special and important flag in the Rare Flags
collection.
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