The Spirit of 76 Stand by the Flag // Currier & Ives Lithograph /1876

This lithograph is thought to date from the period of the Centennial of the United states when patriotic images were very popular as parlor decoration. Depicting an officer in a Continental uniform raising his sword in his right hand and supporting a flagstaff which displays a stylized 13 star flag defaced with the date 1776 in golden yellow numerals under the canton of stars; this figure has often been interpreted as one of George Washington.

The caption reads The Spirit of 76 Stand by the Flag and under that The Young Continental The slogan was probably both inspired by and an attempt to capitalize upon, the painting The Spirit of 76 by Archibald MacNeal Willard, an American Civil War veteran turned illustrator, you crafted the painting in Wellington, Ohio after he saw a parade pass through the town square. The original painting was entitled Yankee Doodle , and was exhibited at the Centennial Exhibition on Philadelphia in 1876.

The lithography firm of Currier & Ives was founded in 1834 by Nathaniel Currier as N. Currier, Lithographer, and based in New York. In 1852, he brought his brother-in-law, James Merritt Ives, into the business and renamed the firm Currier & Ives five years later. They were extremely prolific and highly successful, producing almost 7,500 different separately issued art prints through the 19th century until 1907, aptly advertising themselves as "Print-makers to the American People." Their prints were issued in small, medium and large folio, though some particularly popular images were issued in more than one size. Dozens of American artists in the mid 19th century painted primarily for lithographic reproduction by Currier & Ives and other firms. To please a broad audience, the firm presented a warmly positive vision of America, frequently sentimental, and sometimes with a touch of humor. Currier & Ives prints generally portrayed the American landscape, scenery and landmarks, including the westward expansion, as well as daily life in both urban and rural settings. Their sporting and maritime subjects were particularly popular; and the prints offer a pictorial record of the young nation that cannot be surpassed. These prints are now highly desirable as records of American history, as fine works of American art, and for their decorative appeal. This lithograph likely dates from the 1870s, perhaps during our centennial celebrations.


The Spirit of '76 - Stand By The Flag, has been catalogued both in Currier & Ives Prints by Frederic A. Conninghamas C5654; and, as G6055 in Currier & Ives: A Catalogue Raisonne' by Gale Research
ZFC # Sothebys # Description/Exhibit-Publication History
(sale 10 Oct. 02
0640 (+ 2) South Bay-314
Lithograph (Spirit of 76)
Auctions exhibited in The American Flag, I and II.
227-c depicted in The American Flag, p. 16.


Publication History:
Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 16.

George Washington, Currier & Ives lithograph The spirit of 76


Date: 1876
Medium: Lithograph
Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection in 1996 from the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Collection, ZFC0640

ZFC Important Flag
Item is Framed