While adhering to certain fairly constant graphic conventions, such as red and white stripes and white stars in a blue canton, flags produced for civilian use, particularly in the 19th century, varied greatly. The flag reproduced here is one such example. Despite its deviation from more conventional designs, it is still instantly recognizable as American.
Only a few existing Union-Civil War battle flags have painted eagles as the primary subject inside the star formation, primarily because eagles were usually reserved for flags that the federal government or private trading companies gave to Native American tribes as peace offerings. The eagle was used because of its importance as a totem among many tribes. The Hudson Bay Company was known to have presented at least one flag of this type although, in that instance, the eagle was placed in the striped area instead of the canton.
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All flag images are used courtesy of Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques, LLC, and remain © Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques, LLC.
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