Of the great variety of flags that were made to celebrate the nation’s centennial in 1876, those with stars that spell out numeric or alphabetical characters are among the rarest. In fact, only three other designs of this kind are currently known to exist.
The flag pictured above was, most likely, made for display at the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia, the World’s Fair that served as the official celebration of our nation’s 100-year anniversary of independence. It bears the unusual trait of being printed on a thin fabric made from blended wool and cotton. Because it sheds water, wool would have helped this flag hold up to use outdoors over the Centennial Exhibition’s more than month-long run. In contrast, most parade flags of this period — because they were used for one-day events, then disposed of — were printed on less expensive 100% cotton.
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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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