Frame Size (H x L): 11” x 12”
Flag Size (H x L): 3.25” x 4.25”

Offered is a Civil War pen wipe in the form of a flag.  Early pen wipes were made of geese or swan feathers, as they could hold ink above a sharpened writing point.  In 1803, a metal dip pen was developed in Birmingham, England, and not long afterwards, half of the world’s pens emanated therefrom and were made of steel.  A dip pen has a holder and writing point, but not an ink reservoir.  As such, a writer using a dip pen would frequently dip it into an inkwell, and then after each dip, he would use a pen wipe to clean the point.  Otherwise, the writer’s pen, paper, and work surface would become covered in messy ink.

The pen wipe offered herein includes wiping pages and a decorative flag cover surrounding them.  The wiping pages are made of felt, crimp-cut, and bound via hand stitching.  By having multiple wiping pages, the writer could clean both sides of his pen simultaneously and further he could switch between pages, such that some could be actively used while others would have a chance to dry.  The flag cover is executed in needlepoint.  Owners of decorative pen wipes did use them, at least not typically.  Rather, they treated them as keepsakes, gave them as gifts, or displayed them.  

This pen wipe was discovered in an album of CdV photographs of Civil War soldiers.  Such photographs provided soldiers, friends, and families the opportunity to exchange affordable images amongst themselves.  CdV albums were a fixture in Victorian parlors, and photos of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and other “celebrities” were particularly popular with Northerners.    

Flags associated with the Civil War time period are among the rarest and most collectible of all antique flags.  Prior to the Civil War, Americans did not typically display flags for patriotic purposes, and even the military did not regularly use them.  Instead, most flags prior to the Civil War were used to mark ships and were massive in scale.  The surge in small US flags for patriotic purposes began with the election of Lincoln and the onset of the Civil War.  Though the pen wipe offered herein has an indecipherable number of stars, Civil War era flags typically have either thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, or thirty-six stars. 

The thirty-three star flag represents the inclusion of Oregon to the Union.  Oregon was admitted on February 14th, 1859, and this flag became official on July 4th, 1859.  Use of the thirty-three star flag overlapped the beginning of the Civil War, as evidenced by, for example, a thirty-three star flag being flown at Fort Sumter when Confederate soldiers attacked it. 

The thirty-four star flag represents the inclusion of Kansas to the Union.  Kansas was admitted on January 29th, 1861, and this flag became official on July 4th, 1861.  Many thirty-four star flags predate the first shots of the Civil War in 1861, as flag makers began producing them upon the admission of the Kansas, instead of the time at which the flag was officially admitted to the Union later in the same year.

The thirty-five star flag represents the inclusion of West Virginia to the Union.  West Virginia was admitted on June 20th, 1863, and this flag became official on July 4th, 1863.  The thirty-five star flag is the only flag that (1) represents a state admitted during the Civil War time period, and that also (2) became official during the Civil War.  Because it was official for a short time period—around 18 months—and because so many flags were produced in 1861 and 1862, thirty-five star flags are scarce and the most desirable of the Civil War counts.

Finally, the thirty-six star flag represents the inclusion of Nevada to the Union.  It was the official flag for the last six months of the Civil War and for a portion of the Reconstruction era.  The thirty-six star flag was official until July 4th, 1867.

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 flag is in a multitiered lemon gold frame.  It dates to between 1850 and 1870. 

Condition Report: As shown in the images, there are small tears in the needlework.  There is fading throughout, particularly across the red stripes. 

Collectability Level: The Best – Perfect for Advanced Collectors 
Date of Origin: 1861-1865   
Associated War: Civil War (1861-1865)