Beschreibung:

Thirteen Star American Flag Circa 1890 35 x 56 inches. Thirteen star flags were used by the US Navy from the 18th through the 19th century. They used the thirteen star flag even as the country grew, for practical reasons, namely, the stars could be easily seen at a distance; something that was not true of the US flag as more and more stars (states) were added. In 1916 the Navy stopped using the thirteen star flag following an executive order written by Woodrow Wilson. In the 1890s flag makers started to produce small scale flags for private use, though there were some earlier examples, most hand-sewn flags before this time were around 6 feet in length. Of these smaller thirteen star flags made during the latter part of the 19th century, most were used for private yachts, as their owners copied what they saw on the US Naval ships. They became known as 'Private Boat Ensigns'. Thirteen star American flags were produced in large quantities during the 19th and early 20th centuries, but the medallion pattern, exhibited on the flag offered here, was much less common than the thirteen star flag with stars arranged in a 3-2-3-2-3 staggered row pattern (25% were of the former type, 75% were of the latter). Thirteen star medallion pattern flags produced for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and after, utilized the new zig zag stitch, first patented for use on flags in 1892. This flag, however, is likely earlier, or dates to right around 1892 as it exhibits the earlier straight stitch. C