Irish American Trapunto.
Irish American Trapunto depicting an American Eagle with arrows and olive branches, two United States Flags, two "Irish" flags, and an American shield and scroll inscribed "E Pluribus Unum" with 13 stars semé in the background. It was, doubtless, purchased by an American of Irish descent in the 1900s.
The Trapunto technique consists of adding padding behind a piece of silk to which elaborate designs are embroidered to form a three-dimensional image. Patriotic symbols were a common theme for such items. Many were made and sold by local artisans in Yokohama, Japan, in the first decades of the 20th century. Their market included visiting U.S. servicemen, merchant seaman and tourists. The practice of selling trapuntos is believed to have started in the 1890s or even earlier and continued until at least the early 1930s. Similar embroidery, made in Japan and other East Asian countries after the Second World War, was often applied to silk or leather jackets.
Compare with other Trapuntos
ZFC0150
ZFC0284
ZFC0289
ZFC0742
ZFC1441
ZFC1489
ZFC2219
ZFC2258
Provenance: Acquired in 2008 at an Internet Auction.
ZFC Important Flag
Sources:
Madaus, Howard M.- Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict, VZ Publications, Santa Cruz, 2006.
October 18th to October 25th - Yokohama, Japan, The Great White Fleet, 19 May 2012, from: http://www.greatwhitefleet.info/The_Great_White_Fleet_Japan.html
Larson, Admiral Charles R., Admiral, USN, Letter to Mr. John L. Trost, Lancaster, NY, 08/22/1996. Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
