U.S. 31 Stars Flag, California joins the Union.

U.S. 31 Stars Flag Commemorating California's Admission into the Union, September 9, 1850.
This period example 31 stars United States flag was made to indicate the admission of California as the 31st state on September 9 1850; and would remain accurate until the admission of Minnesota on May 11, 1858, a period of 7 years, 8 months and 2 days.

This flag represents a design whose popularity spanned nearly the entire 19th century. The Grand Luminary star pattern, (sometimes called great-star or great flower) represented the idea of the national motto E Pluribus Unum - "Out of many, one". Each star is separate and distinct, yet all work together to create a unified pattern and a Union of states.

31 star flags with Grand Luminary patterns, even though they were used for several years, are not uncommon; but what is a mystery is that this flag has 14 stripes, seven white and seven red. Since the Flag Act of 1818, the number of stripes in the United States flag has officially remained unchanged at 13, one for each of the original 13 colonies. Whether or not the addition of an extra stripe was intentional or accidental is unknown; but it makes this flag unique. The former owner of this flag, California Superior Court Judge John T. Ball, thought this flag to be made in California.

The Grand Luminary pattern was not unique to this flag or to flags made in California, however. One commentator, viewing the ships in New York Harbor in 1857, noted that the Grand Luminary design predominated among ensigns displayed by merchant vessels and on flags flown to advertise the major hotels in the vicinity.

Exhibition History:
First Presidio Exhibit
(ZFC0585)
31-Star, 14 Stripe United States Flag.

Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 - GALLERY III
(ZFC0585)
31-Star, 14-Stripe United States Flag.

Publication History:
Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 54.

Provenance:

• Acquired Robert Banks, Baltimore, MD until 1993/94.
• Acquired by John Ball, San Jose, California.
• Judge John Ball Courtroom & Chambers Collection, until 2002.
• Acquired from the Judge John Ball Courtroom & Chambers Collection via private treaty by Zaricor Flag Collection, 2002.

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

31 Star Flag - (1851-1858) (U.S.), Flags of the World, 28 October 2011, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-1851.html

California Admission Day September 9, 1850, California department of Parks & Recreation, 28 October 2011, from: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23856

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	42.5
Length of Fly	73

Frame
Is it framed?	yes
Frame Height	44
Frame Length	75

Stars
Number of Stars	31
Are there stars on obverse?	yes
Are there stars on reverse?	no
Comments on Stars	Cotton stars.

Stripes
Number of Stripes	14
Color of Top Stripe	Red
Color of Bottom Stripe	Red
Has a Blood Stripe?	no

Nationality
Nation Represented	United States

Fabric
Fabric	Wool

Stitching
Stitching	Hand

Documentation
Documents	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Drawings	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Research Documents	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Public Copy & Signs

Condition
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	1851

Exhibits

Exhibition Copy

First Presidio Exhibit (ZFC0585) 31-STAR, 14-STRIPE UNITED STATES FLAG Date: 1851-1857 Media: Wool bunting with cotton stars; all hand-sewn Comment: California was admitted to the Union as the 31st state on 9 September 1850 based on the "Compromise of 1850." Its star officially entered the union or canton of the United States flag on July 4th, 1851. Since 31 stars are not readily ordered into neat rows, it is not surprising that flag-makers favored a number of alternate arrangements. In this flag, the stars are formed into a "Grand Luminary," recalling Captain Samuel C. Reid's 1817 suggestion that non-governmental flags display the stars arranged to form one large star. This is not unique a pattern, however. One commentator, viewing the ships in New York Harbor in 1857, noted that the Grand Luminary design predominated among flags displayed by merchant ships and on the flags flown to advertise the major hotels in the vicinity. While utilization of the Grand Luminary is unsurprising, the total of 14 stripes is a puzzle. Ever since the Flag Act of 1818, the number of stripes in the United States flag has officially remained unchanged at 13, one for each of the original 13 colonies. For reasons not currently known, the maker of this particular flag added an extra white stripe, giving equal numbers of red and white stripes. This flag is believed to have been constructed in California. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0585) in 2002 from the Judge John T. Ball Collection of San Jose, CA. Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 – GALLERY III (ZFC0585) 31-Star, 14-Stripe United States Flag Date: 1851–1857 31 Stars: July 4, 1851-July 3, 1858 (California statehood September 9, 1850) Media: Wool bunting with cotton stars; hand-sewn Comment: California was admitted to the Union as the 16th free state according to the terms of the Compromise of 1850 which, instead of pairing each new free state with a new slave state, gave the South certain political concessions. Since 31 stars are not readily ordered into neat rows, it is not surprising that flag-makers favored a number of alternate arrangements. In this flag, the stars are formed into a "Grand Luminary," recalling Captain Samuel C. Reid's 1817 suggestion that non-governmental flags display the stars arranged to form one large star. The pattern was not unique to this flag or to flags made in California, however. One commentator, viewing the ships in New York Harbor in 1857, noted that the Grand Luminary design predominated among ensigns displayed by merchant vessels and on flags flown to advertise the major hotels in the vicinity. While utilization of the Grand Luminary is unsurprising, the total of 14 stripes is a puzzle. Ever since the Flag Act of 1818, the number of stripes in the United States flag had officially remained unchanged at 13-one for each of the original 13 colonies. For reasons not currently known, the maker of this particular flag added an extra white stripe, thus giving an equal number of red and of white stripes. This flag is believed to have been constructed in California. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0585) in 2002 from the Judge John T. Ball Collection of San Jose, CA.

Publications

Publication Copy

Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 54. 31-Star, 14-Stripe United States Flag California was admitted to the Union as a free state according to the terms of the Compromise of 1850 which, instead of pairing each new free state with a new slave state, gave the South political concessions. Since 31 stars were not readily ordered into neat rows, flag-makers experimented with a number of alternate arrangements. In this flag, the stars are formed into a "Grand Luminary." The pattern was not unique to this flag or to flags made in California, however. One commentator, viewing the ships in New York Harbor in 1857, noted that the Grand Luminary design predominated among ensigns displayed by merchant vessels and on flags flown to advertise the major hotels in the vicinity. While utilization of the Grand Luminary is unsurprising, the total of 14 stripes is a puzzle. Ever since the Flag Act of 1818, the number of stripes in the United States flag had officially remained unchanged at 13-one for each of the original 13 colonies. For reasons not currently known, the maker of this particular flag added an extra white stripe, thus giving an equal number of red and of white stripes. This flag flew during the presidency of Millard Fillmore. Date: 1851 – 1857 Size: 42.5" hoist x 74" fly 31 Stars: July 4, 1851 – July 3, 1858 (California statehood September 9, 1850) Media: Wool bunting with cotton stars; hand-sewn Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection in 2002 from the Judge John T. Ball Collection of San Jose, CA. ZFC0585"