Frame Size (H x L): 28” x 34”
Flag Size (H x L): 18” x 24”  

Offered is a forty-five star parade flag printed on cotton bunting.  It exhibits a stunning medallion star pattern with an inner ring, a middle ring, and an outer ring.  The pattern also includes a star inside of the inner ring, and four flanking stars outside of the outer ring.  This particular medallion is made up of only a single star size.  In contrast, most medallions include a larger center star, or a pattern of stars that gets slightly smaller when moving outwards. 

Medallions date to at least as early as the 1840s, and they reached their peak between 1861 and 1876.  By the 1890s, medallions were rarely used, and linear arrangements became the norm.  Why this occurred is unclear, as flag makers had the freedom to place the stars however they liked until 1912, the time at which President Taft issued Executive Order 1556, establishing the arrangement of the stars into rectilinear rows.  This flag—which dates to between 1896 and 1907—is an unusually late example of a flag with a medallion pattern.       

Of additional interest, this flag’s stars are somewhat large in nature and crunched together, such that their arms are intertwined with one another.  Further, this flag is very square in its proportions.  Just like the rectilinear star pattern, the modern proportions of the flag were not defined until 1912 in President Taft’s Executive Order.      

The forty-five star flag represents the inclusion of Utah to the Union.  Utah was admitted on January 4th, 1896, and this flag became official on July 4th, 1896.  Presidents Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, and Teddy Roosevelt served under this flag, and the Spanish-American War was fought under it. 

In 1848 Utah became a territory of the United States, and in 1849 its constitution was established as the Mormon State of Deseret.  The next year, the State of Deseret applied to become a state, but Congress rejected the application and changed its name to the Utah Territory, which included the entirety of Nevada and portions of Colorado and Wyoming (as a section of the Missouri Compromise).  Despite its continued efforts to gain statehood, it remained a territory, partially as a result of the Mormon Church and Utah authorities being openly tolerant of polygamy.  In 1890 Utah outlawed the practice, and in 1896 Utah finally became the forty-fifth state.  The forty-five star flag was official for 12 years up until July 4th, 1908, when the forty-six star flag became official and began to represent the inclusion of Oklahoma 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 our Large Black and Gold Frame. 

Condition Report: This flag has some very minor staining and some fading.  There is some fraying across the top and also the bottom.  Many collectors prefer flags that show their use and age.

Collectability Level: The Best – Perfect for Advanced Collectors  
Date of Origin: 1896-1907  
Number of Stars: 45
Associated War: Spanish-American War (1898)   
Associated State: Utah