Thirty-Nine Star American Flag.

Item Number: 133082

Rare thirty-nine star American flag. At the time of this flag’s production, it was generally thought that Dakota Territory would become the 39th state of the Union and the first new addition since Colorado in 1876. The enterprising company that manufactured this flag went ahead and released it early with the hopes of getting ahead of the competition. However, on November 2, 1889 it was announced that Dakota Territory would be divided into two states, North and South Dakota, and both given entrance. Soon after, Washington, Montana and Idaho were admitted to the Union, so that by July 1890 there were 43 states. Therefore, this 39 star flag is unusual as it was never officially our country’s banner. In near fine condition. Double matted and framed. The flag measures 16.25 inches by 12 inches. The entire piece measures 20 inches by 24.5 inches.

One of the nation’s most widely recognized symbols, the flag of the United States of America has been officially modified a total of 26 times since its first appearance in 1777. The flag’s initial design, bearing thirteen stars and thirteen stripes, has been credited to several historic figures including naval flag designer Francis Hopkinson, Elizabeth “Betsy” Ross, and flagmaker Rebecca Young. On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” “The preference of Civil War flagmakers was clearly for horizontal and vertical alignment of stars: that is, complete parallelism of rows... The collective visual effect of Civil War flags is, therefore, one of hypnotic rhythm - the embattled stars, drawn up in military order in defense of the threatened Union, stride on relentlessly. Star patterns of this sort, denser now and necessarily smaller, may be described as ‘phalanx’ or ‘battalion’ arrangements. While Civil War flags escaped much of the mortal rigidity of mechanical mass production, their artistic merit was more particularly due to the delicate design relationship of the elements and to numerous subtle details - such as the directions of the arms of the stars, which we never entirely regimented, as they are on modern flags. And truly no modern replica can either do justice to the artistic character, or render the ‘patina’ of one of these antique flags” (Mastai & Mastai, 124).