U.S. 35 Star Flag.

35-Star US Flag.
This is a large hand and machine sewn, double appliqué, 35-star cotton flag. The flag's history is unknown but it was formerly flag # 236 in the acclaimed collection of noted antique dealer Mr. Boleslaw Mastai and his wife Marie-Louise d'Otrange Mastai, formerly of New York City and later of Amagansett, Long Island.

Cotton became a popular substitute fabric during the American Civil War and the combination of both hand and machine stitching is a common feature on Civil War flags. This flag has a blue cotton hoist and multiple weaves of cotton, likely indicating a vernacular rather than a professionally made flag.

The Mastai collection was the result of 50 years of collecting, research and study by the late husband-wife team. Mastai, started collecting in the mid 20th century and amassed the greatest private flag collection in the United States; which he detailed in his ground breaking book The Stars and The Stripes; The American Flag from Birth of the Republic to the Present, published by Alfred Knopf, New York 1973. It was hailed as a revelation of the American Flag as art and as social history.

Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection in 2002 from the Mastai Flag Collection through auction at Sotheby's of New York City.

ZFC Noteworthy Flag

Sources:

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Mastai, Boleslaw and Marie-Louise D'Otrange, The Stars and The Stripes: The American Flag as Art and as History from the Birth of the republic to the Present, Knopf, New York, 1973.

35 Star Flag - (1863-1865) (U.S.), Flags of the World, 27 April 2012, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-1863.html

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	77.5
Length of Fly	54

Union/Canton
Width of Union/Canton	29.5
Length of Union/Canton	30

Stars
Comments on Star Measurements	5 point stars, arranged in a 7-7-7-7-7 pattern. Odd rows point worard the fly, while even rows point towards the hoist.
Size of Stars	3.5

Stripes
Width of 1st Stripe	4.25
Width of 3rd Stripe	4.25
Width of 8th Stripe	4.25
Width of Last Stripe	4.25
Size of Hoist	1.75

Frame
Is it framed?	no

Stars
Number of Stars	35
Are there stars on obverse?	yes
Are there stars on reverse?	yes

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	Cotton
Comments on Fabric	seems to be a combination of cottons with different weaves.

Stitching
Stitching	Combination
Comments on Stitching	Hand & Machine stitching

Thread
Type of Thread	needs analysis
Thread Material	needs analysis

Weave
Type of Weave	Plain

Attachment
Comments on Method of Attachmen	Sleeve is blue cotton
Method of Attachment	Sleeve

Applica
Applique Sides	Single Faced = Mirror Image Reverse

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.

Condition
Condition	Fair
Damage	Used, soiled, stained, stripes torn and top red stripe is missing cloth.
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	1863-1865