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21 Star U.S. "Grand Luminary" Flag, c. 1818-1819 Ex: Norm Flayderman Collection....
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$15,625.00
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Description
21 Star U.S. "Grand Luminary" Flag, c. 1818-1819 Ex: Norm Flayderman Collection. This extremely rare 77" X 89" hand-sewn, cotton, 21-star Grand Luminary flag represented the new state of Illinois, admitted in 1818 when James Monroe was president. It was officially in use for only one year, replaced in 1820 when Maine and Alabama joined the Union.On December 3rd, 1818, Illinois was admitted into the Union as the 21st state. Hence, in accordance with the provisions of the Flag Act of 1818, on July 4th, 1819, a new United States flag with twenty-one stars became official. The makers of this flag evidently were unable to secure wool bunting for the field and canton of the flag they needed and made it entirely of cotton instead. Rather than beginning with a red stripe, they chose to commence the alternating stripes with a white stripe. (While this is heraldically proper, it is unlikely that the makers of this flag knew or cared about the intricacies of heraldry.) Although commencing and ending the United States flag with horizontal red stripes was fast becoming the tradition, nothing in the adoptive legislation specified that the red stripes took this precedence. The makers of this flag chose to arrange the stars in the form of a grand luminary. This pattern, emphasizing the notion of from many one (the direct translation of our Latin national motto E Pluribus Unum) had been popularized during the debate over the 1818 Flag Act by Captain S.G. Reid, whose wife had sewn the first flag of the new design that flew over Congress. Mrs. Reid's flag bore its twenty stars in this same grand luminary pattern; however, Congress chose not to incorporate the star pattern as part of its legislation. Nevertheless, the grand luminary design remained popular among some flag manufacturers for another sixty years.
This flag is perhaps the most attractive design ever for the Stars and called by Captain Samuel S. C. Reid the "Great Luminary Flag." The stars were arranged to form a large star, sometimes with one central star surrounded by smaller ones or sometimes all of the same size. An unusual characteristic of this flag is the white stripes at the top and bottom of this flag. The law at that time didn't require or forbid such variations, although they appear in very few known flags.
Condition: separations in canton, and loss at the right of field.
Exhibition History:
First Presidio Exhibit
(ZFC0422)
Twenty-One-Star ("Grand Luminary") United States Flag
Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 - Gallery II
(ZFC0422)
21-Star "Grand Luminary" United States Flag
Publication History:
Crump, Anne, David Studarus, photographer, "A Grand Old Obsession." American Spirit: Daughters of the American revolution Magazine: July/August 2003: P.20.
Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 38.
Provenance:
Flayderman Collection, Fort Lauderdale, FL, until 1997.
Sold via Butterfields & Butterfields, San Francisco, CA, to the Zaricor Flag Collection 1997. 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: 16
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 2,197
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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