Presidential Debate, Washington University, 2004

35 Star U.S. Flag - Maj. Gen George Thomas This period example flag was made to mark the admission of West Virginia as the 35th state on June 20, 1863; and would remain accurate until the admission of Nevada on October 31st 1864, a period of 1 year, 4 months, 11 days, and would remain official until July 4th 1865.

An unusual 31-star U.S. Storm Flag, diagonal rows of stars. This flag has an unusual star pattern, somewhat similar to the truncated diamond employed on U.S. military garrison flags of the same period. California became the 31st state in 1850, with its star being added to the U.S. flag officially in 1851.

U.S. 13 Stars Flag, Commemorative Historic Centennial Pattern, 1876 This particular flag, is thought to date from the centennial celebration of 1876. The triangular star arrangement within the circle of stars may refer to the unfinished pyramid on the reverse of the U.S. coat of arms or it may be a religious symbol for the Holy Trinity.

26 Star U.S. Flag - "Gildersleeve Meteor Flag". Boleslaw Mastai attributed fanciful names to star patterns appearing on his flags. Most of these names are not known to have been used historically. He called this the "Gildersleeve Comet Flag" or the "Shooting Star Flag" and saw it as rushing headlong into space, trailing its stars of glory.

30-star U.S. Flag commemorating Wisconsin Statehood, May 28, 1848. This 30-star United States flag came into official existence on July 4th, 1848 when, in accordance with the Flag Act of 1818, Wisconsin's admission to the Union was recognized in the country's flag.

34 Star United States flag - Battle List Flag. As a collector this is one of the flags that made a lasting impression on me like no other in the collection. You might say it is my favorite Civil War flag but it goes furhter and I would put it at the top of one of the most telling in terms of humane attributes.

37 Star U.S. Flag "EQUAL TAXATION", Democratic Party 1868. The concept of equal taxation was a contentious a national issue in the mid 19th century. This flag was used to promote either a political position or candidate by associating the Equal Taxation concept with the national flag

13 Star U.S. Flag, Revolutionary & Early Federal Period. Believed to be one of the oldest surviving 13-star flags from the early period of American history, this flag, from Salem, MA, bears blue stars onwhite, and reverses the traditional motifs. The placement of blue stars on a white canton is extremely rare.

33 Star U.S. Flag - Dodge Family Flag from the Oregon Trail. This all-cotton U.S. flag bears its 33 stars in the form of two concentric circles in the canton. They may have symbolized the eternal nature of the federal union during that era of the threatened secession.

A 26-Star U.S. flag commemorating the addition of Michigan to the Union. This is a 26-Star flag commemorating the addition of Michigan to the Union on January 26, 1837 with stars of various sizes arranged in a tilted "Great Star". This flag is thought to be one of the earliest examples of printed parade flags.

36-Star U.S. Flag, Double Ring Star Pattern: A John Spargo Flag. 36-star U.S. flag with stars arranged in a Double Circle or Double Medallion pattern with a single star in each corner of the canton and a larger star in the center. Nevada was admitted to statehood on October 31, 1864

Unofficial 39 Star Homemade U.S. Flag. This homemade flag was fabricated in the 1880s by someone who assumed that the Dakota Territory would be admitted to the Union as a single state. However, the territory was split, and two states were admitted simultaneously.

34 Star U.S. Flag "OUR POLICY THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE", Sovereignty slogan. This enormous flag bearing the inscription, Our Policy: The Will of the People, is an early and striking example of the flag being linked with partisan political discourse.

U.S. 26 Star "Grand Luminary" 1837 - 1845, large maritime or institutional flag. This period example 26 star U.S. flag was conceived upon the admission of Michigan as the 26th state on January 26, 1837. This would remain a popular design of United States flag until the admission of Florida on March 3, 1845.

34 Star Grand Luminary Flag used in President Lincoln's Funeral. After his assassination a funeral cortege by railroad was planned. At each stop his body would lay in state so that the nation might mourn its fallen martyr. This flag was flying when Lincoln's funeral train arrived at Albany on the tracks of the NY Central Railroad.

33 Star U.S. Garrison Flag - Handmade. Oregon's entry into the Union on February 14th, 1859 prompted a rapid obsolescence of the 32-star flag adopted the year before to honor Minnesota. On July 4th, 1859, the 33-star flag became official becoming the first of four star counts (33-36) that flew throughout the Civil War.