45 Stars on a Attractive Denim Blue Canton, Cotton Bunting American Flag

45 stars on an especially attractive denim blue canton, a beautiful example of a cotton bunting flag of this period, 1896-1908, Spanish-American war era, Utah statehood:

45 star American national flag, made of cotton, in a desirable small scale and with especially nice coloration. The canton is made of lightweight, denim blue shirting. This chambray fabric has a grainy, western feel to its attractive weave and provides for a beautiful presentation.

Utah became the 45th state in 1896. It had been attempting to gain statehood for many years, but remained a territory, primarily due to the fact that the Mormon Church and Utah authorities continued to be openly tolerant of polygamy. In 1890, Mormon Church President Wilford Woodruff published a manifesto that denounced the contract of “any marriages forbidden by the law of the land”. This gave way to Utah’s 1896 acceptance. The 45 star flag was generally used from that year until 1907, when Oklahoma joined the Union. Due to the Spanish-American War (1898) and Teddy Roosevelt’s famous world tour of the “White Fleet” (launched in 1907), this was an extremely patriotic period.

The stars of the flag are made of cotton and double-appliquéd (sewn to both sides) with a zigzag machine stitch. These are arranged in staggered rows in counts of 8-7-8-7-8-7. The stripes of the flag are made of cotton bunting, which is somewhat unusual among flags of this period with pieced-and-sewn construction. There is a heavy canvas binding along the hoist with two brass grommets.

Mounting: The flag was mounted and framed within our own conservation department, which is led by expert staff. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and have framed thousands of examples.

The background is 100% hemp or a hemp and cotton blended fabric. The black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed molding is Italian. The glazing is U.V. protective plexiglass. Feel free to contact us for more details.

Condition: There is a tiny bit of loss in the upper, fly end corner, which resulted from use. There is minor foxing and staining. The overall condition is excellent for the period.

Measures: Frame size (H x L) approximate 49" x 59.5"
Flag size (H x L) 36.5" x 57".