LOT #43027 |
Sold on Nov 13, 2023 for: Not Sold
John F. Kennedy Presidential Automobile Flag with Presidential Arms....
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Description
From Personal Collection of Presidential Aide David Powers
John F. Kennedy Presidential Automobile Flag with Presidential
Arms. This 18" X 26" embroidered Bemberg flag is one of the few
Presidential Automobile flags documented to the Kennedy
Administration. These flags were ordered from the PQMD in the late
summer of 1959, and delivered to the U.S. Secret Service. As is the
custom, when a new president is inaugurated, he starts his
administration with new flags as those of his predecessor are
retired and officially to be given to the National Archives and
Records Administration (NARA). These automobile flags meet all of
the PQMD standards. The 1959 U.S. Government blueprints for these
flags are meticulous and specify the fabric and type of device for
each size flag; Field Flags (80" X 144") are sewn wool with percale
arms; Colors (52" X 66") are embroidered silk; Boat (aka Traveling)
Flag (36" X 48") are also sewn wool with percale arms and the
Automobile Flags (18" X 26") are, like the colors, hand-loomed
embroidered silk. For use on Presidential limousines a matching
pair of silk flags was always used.The first president to travel with small versions of that flag was President Taft. In 1919 when President Woodrow Wilson traveled to the Versailles Peace Conference at the end of WWI, his vehicle bore a version of the U.S. Presidential automobile flag, apparently made in France. All presidential flags were altered by President Truman on October 25, 1945, when he issued Executive Order 9646, to depict the stylized coat of arms of the United States surrounded by a circle of white stars equal to those on the U.S. flag.
In the late 1950s the 50-star Presidential flags were anticipated because of the pending admission of Hawaii to statehood. Congress approved statehood on 18 June 1959, the citizens of Hawaii assented in the election of 27 June and Hawaii became a state under President Eisenhower's signature on 21 August 1959. On that same day he issued another Executive Order 10834, establishing the 50-star national flag, which would take effect on 4 July 1960. President Eisenhower had previously, on 5 February 1960, authorized and issued Executive Order 10860 increasing the stars around the arms on the presidential flag creating the current fifty-star version.
David Francis Powers. A close friend of JFK and the Kennedy family, served as Special Assistant and Assistant Appointments Secretary to President of the United States John F. Kennedy. After he was elected, Kennedy appointed Powers as Special Assistant to the President. In this role he saw to the President's personal needs and always accompanied JFK's travels both foreign and domestic. Among his duties were to keep JFK's schedules and appointments, greet distinguished visitors and escort them while at the White House. He also supervised the president's wardrobe. Additionally, one of the responsibilities as Presidential Aide, was to assure that the proper flag was flown on Presidential trips whether on boat or motorcade. It has been speculated that this could be the Presidential flag used on the Fort Worth portion of JFK's November 1963 Texas trip. Later, Powers served as Museum Curator of the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum from 1964 until his retirement in May 1994.
Condition: vibrant colors, scattered pinholes, light age.
Provenance:
Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot, 1959.
President John F. Kennedy Administration, 1961 - 1963.
Special Presidential Assistant to the President & Museum Curator John F. Kennedy Museum & Library David Powers, until passing in 1998. Then by descent in the Powers family until 2013.
Sold by family via John McInnis Auctions, Amesbury, MA, to the Zaricor Flag Collection, 2013 From the Zaricor Flag Collection.
View all of [The Zaricor Flag Collection ]
Auction Info
2023 November 13 - 14 Americana & Political Signature Auction Signature® Auction #6276 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
November, 2023
13th-14th
Monday-Tuesday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 0
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,089
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $300,000 (minimum $49), plus 20% of any amount between $300,000 and $3,000,000, plus 15% of any amount over $3,000,000 per lot.
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