ZFC Item Section - U.S. 33 Star Grand Luminary Flag.

Exhibits Title information is available upon specific request. Additional information available upon request to researchers, writers and others demonstrating special circumstances. In some situations, information may not be available.
Exhibition Copy	Exhibition History First Presidio Exhibit (ZFC1155) 33-STAR "GRAND LUMINARY" UNITED STATES FLAG Date: 1859-1861 Medium: Cotton; machine stitched with hand-sewn stars Comment: As with the 31-star flag, the stars of the 33-star flag did not allow for an orderly arrangement of rows. The alternative Grand Luminary star arrangement had been advocated four decades earlier as a "civilian" star pattern for U.S. flags, but it still enjoyed great popularity at the beginning of the Civil War, as this home-made flag demonstrates. While it has been suggested that this may have been an earlier U.S. flag with 31 stars, the slightly smaller stars that fall outside the perimeter of the "great star" and that seem to have been added later in fact are made from the same material as the other stars. This suggests that they were all applied at the same time. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC1155) in 1997 from Harry Oswald of Portland, OR. Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 â€“ GALLERY III (ZFC1155) 33-Star "Grand Luminary" United States Flag Date: 1859â€“1861 33 Stars: July 4, 1859-July 3, 1861 (Oregon statehood February 14, 1859) Medium: Cotton; machine stitched with hand-sewn stars Comment: As with the 31-star flag, the stars of the 33-star flag did not allow for an orderly arrangement of rows. The alternative "Grand Luminary" star arrangement had been advocated four decades earlier as a "civilian" star pattern for U.S. flags, but it still enjoyed great popularity at the beginning of the Civil War, as this homemade flag demonstrates. While it has been suggested that this may have been an earlier U.S. flag with 31 stars, the slightly smaller stars that fall outside the perimeter of the "great star" and that seem to have been added later in fact are made from the same material as the other stars. This suggests that they were all applied at the same time. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC1155) in 1997 from Harry Oswald of Portland, OR.

Exhibits

Title information is available upon specific request. Additional information available upon request to researchers, writers and others demonstrating special circumstances. In some situations, information may not be available.

Exhibition Copy

Exhibition History
First Presidio Exhibit
(ZFC1155)
33-STAR "GRAND LUMINARY" UNITED STATES FLAG
Date: 1859-1861
Medium: Cotton; machine stitched with hand-sewn stars
Comment: As with the 31-star flag, the stars of the 33-star flag did not allow for an orderly arrangement of rows. The alternative Grand Luminary star arrangement had been advocated four decades earlier as a "civilian" star pattern for U.S. flags, but it still enjoyed great popularity at the beginning of the Civil War, as this home-made flag demonstrates. While it has been suggested that this may have been an earlier U.S. flag with 31 stars, the slightly smaller stars that fall outside the perimeter of the "great star" and that seem to have been added later in fact are made from the same material as the other stars. This suggests that they were all applied at the same time.
Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC1155) in 1997 from Harry Oswald of Portland, OR.

Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 â€“ GALLERY III
(ZFC1155)
33-Star "Grand Luminary" United States Flag

Date: 1859â€“1861 33 Stars: July 4, 1859-July 3, 1861 (Oregon statehood February 14, 1859)
Medium: Cotton; machine stitched with hand-sewn stars
Comment: As with the 31-star flag, the stars of the 33-star flag did not allow for an orderly arrangement of rows. The alternative "Grand Luminary" star arrangement had been advocated four decades earlier as a "civilian" star pattern for U.S. flags, but it still enjoyed great popularity at the beginning of the Civil War, as this homemade flag demonstrates. While it has been suggested that this may have been an earlier U.S. flag with 31 stars, the slightly smaller stars that fall outside the perimeter of the "great star" and that seem to have been added later in fact are made from the same material as the other stars. This suggests that they were all applied at the same time.

Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC1155) in 1997 from Harry Oswald of Portland, OR.

Publications Title information is available upon specific request. Additional information available upon request to researchers, writers and others demonstrating special circumstances. In some situations, information may not be available.
Publication Copy	Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 60. "33-Star "Grand Luminary" United States Flag As with the 31-star flag, the stars of the 33-star flag did not allow for an orderly arrangement of rows. The alternative "Grand Luminary" star arrangement had been advocated four decades earlier as a star pattern for "civil" U.S. flags, but it still enjoyed great popularity at the beginning of the Civil War, as this homemade flag demonstrates. While it has been suggested that this may have been an earlier U.S. flag with 31 stars, the slightly smaller stars that fall outside the perimeter of the "great star" and that seem to have been added later in fact are made from the same material as the other stars. This suggests that they were all applied at the same time. In November of 1860, four parties presented candidates for the presidency. Although he did not receive the majority of the popular vote-and was not even on the ballot in nine southern states-Abraham Lincoln was elected president with a majority of the electoral votes. This flag possibly served during both the James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln administrations.

Publications

Publication Copy

Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 60.

"33-Star "Grand Luminary" United States Flag

As with the 31-star flag, the stars of the 33-star flag did not allow for an orderly arrangement of rows. The alternative "Grand Luminary" star arrangement had been advocated four decades earlier as a star pattern for "civil" U.S. flags, but it still enjoyed great popularity at the beginning of the Civil War, as this homemade flag demonstrates. While it has been suggested that this may have been an earlier U.S. flag with 31 stars, the slightly smaller stars that fall outside the perimeter of the "great star" and that seem to have been added later in fact are made from the same material as the other stars. This suggests that they were all applied at the same time. In November of 1860, four parties presented candidates for the presidency. Although he did not receive the majority of the popular vote-and was not even on the ballot in nine southern states-Abraham Lincoln was elected president with a majority of the electoral votes. This flag possibly served during both the James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln administrations.