Frame Size (H x L): 7” x 8.5”
Flag Size (H x L): 3” x 4.5”

Offered is an advertising flag, dating to 1880.  It is made of paper, and includes the following overprint:

Visit Frank Cousins’s
BEE-HIVE
No. 172 Essex Street,
SALEM, MASS.

Frank Cousins’s BEE-HIVE was a general store, located on at the corner of Essex Street and St. Peter Street in Salem, Massachusetts.  This corner—which no longer exists, as these streets do not intersect—is close to the Peabody Essex Museum.   

Frank Cousins’s BEE-HIVE flags were made in two forms.  The first form featured presidential candidate James A. Garfield (i.e., like this flag), while the second form featured the opposing presidential candidate Winfield Scott Hancock.  Garfield was a republican and received 214 electoral votes.  In contrast, Hancock was a democrat but received only 155 electoral votes.  Garfield was assassinated after serving only six and a half months in office.  Chester A. Arthur, his running mate, succeeded him to office.      

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

Frame: This flag is in an outstanding rippled wood frame.  It dates to approximately 1840.

Condition Report: This flag exhibits some minor toning, but overall is in excellent condition.

Collectability Level: The Good – Perfect for Beginning Collectors and Gifts    
Date of Origin: 1880