13 Star United States Navy Boat Flag No.14.
This small, wool flag is machine sewn and resist dyed. It dates to right after the American Civil War in the late 1860's, or early 1870's. During the American Civil War, the United States Navy mushroomed in size. The demand for flags exceeded the Navy's ability to furnish flags through the various U.S. Naval Yards along the Atlantic. Historians have speculated that the Navy Yards turned to civilian contractors to make up the deficit.
While the flags made in the Navy Yards were sewn with the stars arranged in 3 horizontal rows of 4-5-4, those that were supplied by the contractors were arranged in 5 staggered horizontal rows, 3-2-3-2-3, as in this example. U.S. Navy Boat Flags were used on small boats. These small boats were used to ferry personnel, goods, and cargo from ship to shore.
Sewing the individual stars to each side of the canton was tedious work, and led one of the contracting firms to use press block, or resist dying to print the stars after the Civil War. These techniques were improved and patented by John Holt. Before the flag was sewn, the canton was pressed in a block that prevented the blue indigo dye from penetrating the areas that were to be seen as white stars. The same technique was used to create the 13 red and white stripes. This created an inexpensive flag for the Navy to purchase large amounts of.
Marked U.S. Navy boat flags are prized by collectors as they are often more readily identified.
Exhibition History:
The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict
Offices Club, Presidio of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
First & Second Presidio Exhibits, 2003
Publication History:
Druckman, Nancy, Jeffrey Kenneth Kohn, American Flags: Designs for a Young Nation, New York, Harry N Abrams Inc., 2003, p.27
Provenance:
• Acquired by Mr. & Mrs. Boleslaw & Marie-Louise D'Otrange Mastai, New York City, and Amagansett, NY, The Mastai Collection, until 2002.
• Sold via Sotheby's Auction in New York City to the Zaricor Flag Collection, 2002.
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