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

Offered is a White’s Business College antique flag.  It was made by Carter, Rice, & Company of Boston.  This flag is in the form of a paper trade card that includes an overprint.  An overprint is printing on the face of the flag, either on its canton or stripes.  Overprinted flags typically date to between 1860 and the early 1900s.  Overprints cover a variety of topics, including political candidates, political organizations, commercial advertisements, and historic events, just to name a few examples.  In the case of this flag, its upper overprint states the following:

WHITE’S
BUSINESS COLLEGE
Waite Building, William Street,
New Bedford, - Mass.
Special attention to
instruction in Pen-
manship, Book-keep-
ing and Commercial
Arithmetic.

And further, its lower overprint states the following:

Lessons in
ELOCUTION,
Saturday Forenoons,
by
Miss Clara B. Alden.

Trade cards like this one are found 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 antique lemon gold frame.  It dates to approximately 1840.

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

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