U.S. 15 Star, 15 Stripe Flag - 9/11 Mourning.
This cotton machined sewn atypical 15-star, 15-stripe "Star Spangled Banner" flag was made as a commemorative piece after 1818 when 15-star flags were retired by the U.S. government. The Dettra Flag Company in Oaks, Pennsylvania made this flag. 15-star, 15-stripe American flags were dubbed "Star Spangled Banner" flags after a similar one flew over Fort McHenry during the successful defense of Baltimore. That flag was the inspiration for a poem by Francis Scott Key, which became the U.S. national anthem.
This particular flag differs in physical characteristics to the original "Star Spangled Banner" flag. While "Star Spangled Banner" flags were the only flags in U.S. history to contain fifteen stars in the canton, this flag upon closer inspection differs in the orientation of said stars. "Star Spangled Banner" flags created between 1795-1818 orient the stars pointing towards the fly (or the hoist). In this example, all the stars point up to the top edge of the canton. The trademark of the Dettra Flag Company on this flag is attributed to the 2nd quarter of the 20th century; this possibly indicates when the flag was made.
This same flag is believed to be flown at the entrance and side of the Star Spangled Banner Flag house in Baltimore, Maryland in 1928. This flag also appears in the Flag House catalog published in 1999 (page 24, top left). In this photo, Arthur Sewall, the curator, is seen standing in front of the entrance as the flag flies overhead. This flag also appears in a 1950's National Geographic magazine.
This flag was flown in Santa Cruz, CA by the Zaricor Flag Collection from 9/15/01-9/22/01 in wake of the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
ZFC Important Flag
Item is Framed
Provenance:
• Made by the Dettra Flag Co., Oaks, PA.
• Purchased for use by the Star Spangled Banner Flag House & Museum, Baltimore, MD.
• Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection from the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Collection of Baltimore, MD. in 1996.
• Used by Zaricor Flag Collection in Santa Cruz, CA, during the during the national period of mourning for the September 11th 2001 attacks.
Sources:
Star-Spangled Banner, The National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, 23 June 2013, from: http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/
Star-Spangled Banner Flag House, 23 June 2013, from: http://flaghouse.org/
Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC) Archives, 2013.
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
