U.S. 34 Star Flag, 1863 - 1865, "Grand Luminary".

34 Star US Flag, 1863 - 1865, "Grand Luminary", Parade Flag.
This important flag was presented to Ben Zaricor and inscribed on the back is "Professor Henry Berger of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He gave this to Ben Zaricor on Jan 10, 2003 in S.F. (San Francisco, CA) during the flag exhibition at The Presidio, San Francisco; The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict". It was a token of Berger and Zaricor's long friendship since 1970, when Ben was a student and Berger a new professor.

This is a 34 star flag made of silk that was acquired by Berger's father from an estate out of Frederick, MD, during the late 30s or 40s, or early 50s. It is rare to have such large stars in the corners.

The 34-star flag became official on July 4th, 1861 when a star was added to mark the admission of Kansas (January 29th, 1861). The only President to serve under this flag was Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865). The stars are arranged in the pattern of a Grand Luminary or Great Star pattern. These were popular versions of the national flag used from 1820 until the 1880s. These flags were a reflection of the national motto 'E pluribus unum', Latin meaning 'From many, one'. Small flags like this became popular in the North for parades, recruitment, patriotic displays and electioneering. This variant is quite rare in that it is unusual to see a small-parade staff flag with large stars in each corner of the canton.

We do not know the name of the family, but the flag came from an estate in Frederick, Maryland. Frederick is same town in which the famous confrontation took place between Confederate General Stonewall Jackson and Barbra Fritchie.

Exhibition History:
Chicago Meeting December, 2003
(ZFC0005)
34-Star United States Flag

Provenance: the Henry Berger family of St. Louis, MO gave this flag to Mr. Ben Zaricor (ZFC0005) in January 2003. Mr. Berger's father acquired the flag from an estate in Frederick, Maryland in the 1940s.

ZFC Significant Flag
Item is Framed

Sources:

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Madaus, Howard M.- Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict, VZ Publications, Santa Cruz, 2006.

Samuel Chester Reid, Wikipedia, 24 October 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Chester_Reid

Great Star Flags (U.S.), Flags of the World, 25 October 2011, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-gstar.html

Martucci, David, Great Star Flags, US Flags: Part 5, 25 October 2011, from: http://www.midcoast.com/~martucci/flags/us-hist6.html

Barbara Fritchie, Wikipedia, 28 October, 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Fritchie

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	14.25
Length of Fly	20.25

Union/Canton
Width of Union/Canton	7.5
Length of Union/Canton	8

Stars
Comments on Star Measurements	Great Star pattern 5 in the center, 5 in each arm, and one large star in each corner. Flag is framed, the reverse of the flag is not visible.

Stripes
Width of 1st Stripe	1.25
Width of 3rd Stripe	1.25
Width of 8th Stripe	1.25
Width of Last Stripe	1.25

Frame
Is it framed?	yes
Frame Height	16.25
Frame Length	22.25

Stars
Number of Stars	34
How are the stars embeded?	Printed
Are there stars on obverse?	yes
Are there stars on reverse?	no

Stripes
Number of Stripes	13
Color of Top Stripe	Red
Color of Bottom Stripe	Red
Has a Blood Stripe?	no

Nationality
Nation Represented	United States

Fabric
Fabric	Silk

Weave
Type of Weave	Plain

Attachment
Comments on Method of Attachmen	framed, no mounting
Method of Attachment	None

Applica
Applique Sides	Single Faced = Mirror Image Reverse

Documentation

Condition
Condition	Fair
Damage	Flag is used, soiled stained with fabric separation in the canton. Trending to good.
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	1863-1865

Exhibits
Exhibition Copy	Chicago Meeting December, 2003 (ZFC0005) 34-Star United States Flag Date: Official 18611863 Medium: Printed silk flag Comment: The 34-star flag became official on July 4th, 1861 when a star was added for the admission of Kansas (January 29th, 1861). The only President to serve under this flag was Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865). The stars are arranged in the pattern of a Grand Luminary or Great Star pattern. These were popular versions of the national flag used from 1820 until the 1880s. These flags were a reflection of the national motto e pluribus unum, Latin meaning from many, one. This variant is quite rare in that it is unusual to see a small parade stick flag with large stars in each corner of the canton. Small flags like this became popular in the North for parades, recruitment, patriotic displays and electioneering. We do not know the name of the family, but the flag came from an estate in Frederick, Maryland. Frederick is same town in which the famous confrontation took place between Confederate General Stonewall Jackson and Barbra Fritchie.
Exhibition Images	ZFC0005 on display, Chicago 2003