Forty-Four Star American Flag.

Item Number: 109201

Rare forty-four star American flag. The American flag bearing 44 stars was in use between July 10, 1890 when the state of Wyoming was admitted into the Union and January 4, 1896 when Utah was admitted as the 45th state. In near fine condition with ownership initials to the hoist. Accompanied by an 1865 Civil War discharge document for Henry Clay Taft and an additional note of provenance. The flag measures 113.5 inches by 71 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." Tradition holds that the new flag was first hoisted on June 14th, 1777 by the Continental Army at the Middlebrook encampment, the date is now celebrated as Flag Day.