Frame Size (H x L): 13” x 15.5”
Flag Size (H x L): 5” x 8”

Offered is a thirty-six star flag with the following outstanding overprint:

PRESIDENT,
HORATIO SEYMOUR.
VICE PRESIDENT,
GEN. F. P. BLAIR

The overprint is in reference to Democrats Horatio Seymour and Francis Preston Blair, who—in the 1868 presidential election—ran against Republicans Ulysses S. Grant and Schuyler Colfax.

Seymour and Blair won just 80 electoral votes and 47.34% of the popular vote, while Grant and Colfax won 214 electoral votes and 52.66% of the popular vote. The contrast in the electoral votes was expected, but the proximity of the popular vote was surprising—particularly given that newly enfranchised freedmen voted almost exclusively for Grant and Colfax, and further given that many Southern whites, who would have voted almost exclusively for Seymour and Blair, had been temporarily disenfranchised at the time of the election (i.e., those in Texas, Mississippi, and Virginia, the states that had not yet been restored to the Union). The leading explanation for the proximity of the popular vote is that whites—both Northern and Southern—must have voted for Seymour and Blair more often than had been anticipated.

This flag is exceptional for at least the following reasons:

First, campaign flags are the most desirable of all flags. The first campaign flags were made in 1840 and were associated with the William Henry Harrison campaign. In 1890, a bill was introduced that attempted to prevent the desecration of the flag by printing, painting, or advertising for public display or private gain. The bill failed. In 1895, a similar bill was introduced, but likewise failed. Finally, in 1905, a bill passed outlawing the use of marks and portraits on the flag, coat of arms, and other insignia of the United States. With this background in mind, campaign flags are especially difficult to acquire, because they were only made between 1840 and 1905. And in reality, most examples that surface are from a narrower time frame between 1860 and 1890.

Second, the subject flag is particularly rare, even for a campaign flag. It is the only example that we have encountered, and it went undocumented in the Threads of History, written by Herbert Ridgeway Collins, former curator of the Division of Political History at the Smithsonian Institution. Escaping documentation therein was difficult, being that Collins corresponded with 1000’s of collectors, museums, and universities, in his attempt to catalog every political textile. In total, he documented 1500 examples, dating from 1775 to 1979, yet this flag—and all Seymour-Blair flags, but for one—went under his radar, almost certainly as a function of their rarity.

And third, its stars are arranged in a wonderful medallion pattern. The large star in the middle is referred to as a “center star.” The center star represents the newest state added to the Union (e.g., Nevada in the case of this thirty-six star flag). Surrounding the center star is a pair of concentric rings of stars, and surrounding the rings are four flanking stars positioned in the corners of the canton.

CONSTRUCTION
The flag offered herein is printed on coarse glazed cotton. The stripes and overprint were block stamped. The canton is a dusty blue and the stripes are essentially orange. The orange is a result of the use of either madder or cochineal to create the red dye. Such dye was commonly used to make flags between 1850 and 1880. The First Flag Act of 1777 specified the flag’s general colors, but it did not specify the exact shades thereof. For this reason, some flags—like this one—have unusual colors, per the modern eye. The exact shades were not officially specified until 1934.

The overprints are in black across the white stripes and notably a portion of the “HORATIO” overprint appears to overlap one of the red stripes. This suggests that the red stripes were applied, perhaps along with the blue canton, and the campaign overprints were applied sometime thereafter, maybe even years later. In some instances, surplus flags would lie dormant awaiting the next campaign season, patriotic burst, or overprint request.

STAR COUNT
Flags made for the 1868 campaign have surfaced with thirty-four, thirty-six, and thirty-seven stars (and perhaps others). In 1868, the official star count was thirty-seven. As such, this is the most logical count for an 1868 campaign flag. The lower star counts of thirty-four and thirty-six can be explained via the following theories:

First, these lower star counts may have been leftovers associated with the burst of parade flags produced during the Civil War. In a time of frugality—and 1868 would have been such a time given its proximity with respect to the Civil War, not to mention the rugged nature of the 19th century generally—a maker would sell whatever he had, and a buyer would purchase whatever was available.

Second, these lower star counts may have been made with older printing blocks. Cutting blocks was an arduous task. Thus, makers sometimes used older blocks in later years, both to save the time and minimize the effort associated with making new blocks.

And third, there was a general randomness with respect to star counts in 19th century flags, more so with flags dating to 1870 and earlier, and less so with flags dating to 1870 and later. Neither makers nor buyers were particularly disciplined with respect to star counts, perhaps in part because the star count changed so frequently in the 19th century, and perhaps in part because early flags were crude in every respect, the star count being no different.

The subject flag has thirty-six stars, likely because of one of these three theories. Under the first theory, this flag may have been made in 1864 or 1865, and then left in storage until it was overprinted in 1868 and distributed. Under the second and third theories, this flag may have been made in 1868. As viewed from these outer bounds, the underlying flag would date to between 1864 and 1868.

In any event, the overprint would have been applied in 1868, following the nominations of Seymour and Blair (i.e., after the flag was taken from storage or immediately after the flag was printed, depending on the circumstances).

THIRTY-SIX STAR FLAGS
The thirty-six star flag represents the inclusion of Nevada to the Union. Nevada was admitted on October 31st, 1864, and this flag became official on July 4th, 1865. Nevada was originally part of the Utah Territory beginning in 1850, became its own territory in 1861, and became its own state in 1864.

The timing of Nevada's inclusion was politically and economically based. For political reasons, Nevada was admitted to the Union just eight days prior to President Lincoln's re-election bid against General George McClellan. Such timing was meant to benefit Lincoln and his fellow Republicans. For economic reasons, Nevada was included as part of the Union to help it pay off the country’s war debts. Economically, Nevada was particularly attractive at the time, because of its significant silver mining industry. Nevada expanded its borders in 1866 when the western Utah Territory was added to its eastern side, and further expanded in 1867 when a portion Pah-Ute County in the Arizona Territory was added to its southern side.

The thirty-six star flag was the official flag for the last six months of the Civil War, and it was used by the military during that time. It was also the official flag during a portion of the Reconstruction era. Ultimately, the thirty-six star flag was official until July 4th, 1867, the time at which the thirty-seven star flag became official and began to represent the inclusion of Nebraska in the Union.

Conservation Process: This flag was hand sewn to cotton fabric, and both were hand sewn to a mounting board. To prevent the black dye in the cotton fabric from seeping into the flag, it was first washed in a standard wash and then in a dye setting wash. The flag is positioned behind Optium Museum Acrylic.

Frame: This offering is in a mahogany veneer frame. It has a brown and red finish and dates to the 1840s.

Condition Report: There is discoloration in the upper-left quadrant of the canton. There are vertical stripes of fading, the first two of which are under the canton, and the other three of which are to the right of the canton. The stripes of fading may be original to the flag (i.e., manufacturing related). They are more noticeable in the photos than in person. There are a few small stains across the surface of the flag with the most noticeable one being over a portion of “VICE.” Given the age and rarity of the subject flag, it is highly desirable despite these issues.

Collectability Level: The Best – Perfect for Advanced Collectors
Date of Origin: 1864-1868
Number of Stars: 36
Associated State: Nevada