41 Star U.S. Flags - Montana.

41 Star U.S. Flags (Uncut Printed Group Of Six Parade Flags).
These 41 star United States flags were made to recognize the admission of Montana as the 41st state on November 8, 1889. They were to remain accurate for a period of just three days, until the admission of Washington on November 11, 1889; consequently 41 star flags are extremely rare.

This was printed in running yardage, and is an uncut section from a bolt of 41-star cotton flags. This uncut group of six printed flags is unusual and indicates the fate that befell many of the 41-star flags once they became obsolete after just 72 hours. The stars in each flag are arranged in a vertical pattern: 5-4-5-4-5-4-5-4-5.

The cotton field of each flag is composed of 13 horizontal alternating red and white stripes each approximately 1.25 inches wide. The top-most stripe is red, as is the bottom-most. Inset into the field, and extending through seven stripes from the top downwards, is a dark-blue canton (8.75 inches wide on the fly x 8.25 inches) which is decorated with the 41 stars, 1 inch across, printed on the obverse and reverse sides. The flags are machine stitched, where stitching was required.

The early history of these 41 star flags is unknown; but they were formerly part of the collection at The Flag House and Star-Spangled Banner Museum. Founded in 1927, the Flag House is one of Baltimore's oldest public museums. The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Association, Inc. was formed in 1927 to operate a museum dedicated to the memory of Mary Young Pickersgill who made the enormous 30 x 42-foot Star-Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that became the Union's National Anthem.

Mary Pickersgill's flag still survives and now hangs at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. As one of the earliest institutions dedicated to the study of flags, The Flag House & Star-Spangled Banner Museum also became a repository for flags from other eras, and amassed one of the largest flag collections in the nation.

Publication History:
Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict.
Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 101.

Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0162) in 1996 from the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Collection of Baltimore, MD.

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

U.S. Flags With Unofficial Number Of Stars, Flags of the World, 12 November 2011, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-unoff.html

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	99
Length of Fly	23.5

Union/Canton
Width of Union/Canton	8.75
Length of Union/Canton	8.25

Stars
Size of Stars	1

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	30
Frame Length	107

Stars
Number of Stars	41
How are the stars embeded?	Printed
Are there stars on obverse?	yes
Are there stars on reverse?	yes
Comments on Stars	The stars in each flag are arranged in a vertical pattern: 5-4-5-4-5-4-5-4-5.
Star Pattern	The stars in each flag are arranged in a vertical pattern: 5-4-5-4-5-4-5-4-5.

Stripes
Number of Stripes	13
Color of Top Stripe	Red
Color of Bottom Stripe	Red
Has a Blood Stripe?	no
Comments on Stripes	13 horizontal alternating red and white stripes each approximately 1.25 inches wide. The top-most stripe is red, as is the bottom-most.

Nationality
Nation Represented	United States

Fabric
Fabric	Cotton

Documentation
Documents
Drawings

Condition
Condition	Good
Damage	Some fading damage to 3 of the 6 on both sides.
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	Circa 1881

Exhibits

Exhibition Copy

United States // 41 Stars / Uncut yardage These period example 41 star United States flags were made to indicate the admission of Montana as the 41st state on November 8, 1889; they would remain accurate until the admission of Washington on November 11, 1889, a period of only three days, consequently 41 star flags are extremely rare. This is printed running yardage, uncut section from a bolt of 41-star cotton flags. This uncut group of six printed flags is unusual and shows the fate that befell many of the 41-star flags once they became obsolete only three days after Montana was admitted to the Union. Stars in each flag are arranged in a vertical pattern: 5-4-5-4-5-4-5-4-5. The cotton field of each flag is composed of 13 horizontal alternating red and white stripes each about 1.25 inches wide, top stripe is red, bottom stripe is red. Inset into the field, and extending through seven stripes from the top, is a dark blue canton (union) 8.75 inches wide on the fly x 8.25 inches, with 41 stars, 1 inch across, printed on the obverse and reverse sides. The flags are machine stitched, where sewing was needed. These 41 star flags early history is unknown; but they were formerly part of the collection of The Flag House & Star-Spangled Banner Museum. Founded in 1927, it is one of Baltimore's oldest museums open to the public. The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Association, Inc. was formed in 1927 to operate a museum dedicated to the story of Mary Young Pickersgill who made the enormous 30 x 42-foot Star-Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that became our National Anthem. Mary Pickersgill's flag still survives and now hangs at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. As one of the earliest institutions dedicated to the study of flags, The Flag House & Star-Spangled Banner Museum also became a repository for flags from other eras, and amassed one of the largest flag collections in the nation. Exhibition History First Presidio Exhibit (ZFC0162) 41-STAR UNITED STATES FLAGS (UNCUT PRINTED GROUP OF SIX PARADE FLAGS) Date: 1889 Medium: Printed on cotton Comment: The forty-first state to enter the Union was Montana on November 8th, 1889, however, only three days later Washington became the 42nd state on November 11th. Still, at least one flag maker anticipated that it would become official the next July. That anticipation was ill-founded, and this printed group of flags were never cut and mounted. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0162) in 1996 from the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Collection of Baltimore, MD. Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 - GALLERY V (ZFC0162) 41-Star United States Flag Uncut Printed Run of Six Parade Flags Date: 1889 41 Stars: Unofficial (Montana statehood November 8, 1889) Media: Printed cotton Comment: The forty-first state to join the Union, Montana, joined on November 8, 1889. Nevertheless it was only three days later that Washington became the 42nd state on November 11. At least one flag maker anticipated that Washington statehood would not become official until after the following July, when the flag would officially change. That anticipation was ill-founded and perhaps it was for that reason that this printed run of flags was never cut and mounted. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0162) in 1996 from the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Collection of Baltimore, MD.

Publications

Publication Copy

Publication History: Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 101. "41-Star United States Flag Uncut Printed Run of Six Parade Flags The forty-first state to enter the Union, Montana, joined on November 8, 1889. Nevertheless it was only three days later that Washington became the 42nd state on November 11. At least one flag maker anticipated that Washington statehood would not become official until after the following July, when the flag would officially change. That anticipation was ill-founded and perhaps it was for that reason that this printed run of flags was never cut and mounted. Date: 1889 Size: 16.5" (each) hoist x 23.5" fly 41 Stars: Unofficial (Montana statehood November 8, 1889) Medium: Printed cotton Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection in 1996 from the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Collection of Baltimore, MD. ZFC0162"