U.S 26 Star Flag - Michigan 26th State.

U.S. 26 Star Flag - Michigan as the 26th state of the Union.
This hand sewn 26 star United States flag was made to indicate the admission of Michigan as the 26th state on January 26, 1837; and would remain accurate until the admission of Florida on March 3, 1845, a period of 8 years, 1 month, 5 days.

This flag is an outstanding example of an open weave wool flag. The stripes and canton are made from hand-loomed homespun, indicative of early 19th century manufacture. The heading has three hand sewn whip-stitched eyelets, a common finishing detail in the first half of the 19th century. The star field is unusual in that the two stars on the fly end of the canton, which may have been added later.

Howard Madaus, the late vexillologist, after examining this flag, speculated that because of the striking rows of stars and the size, this might be a U.S. Navy Boat Flag.

ZFC Significant Flag


Provenance:
• John Armiger until 1985.
• John Armiger Jr., The John Armiger Collection until 2005.
• Sold via Cowan's Auctions, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, to the Zaricor Flag Collection, 2005.
Deaccessed Heritage Auctions - 13 November 2023 - Auction 6276


Sources:

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Cooper, Grace Rogers, Thirteen-Star Flags: Keys to Identification, Smithsonian Institution Press, City of Washington, 1973.

Madaus, Howard M.- Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict, VZ Publications, Santa Cruz, 2006.

Mastai, Boleslaw and Marie-Louise D'Otrange, The Stars and The Stripes: The American Flag as Art and as History from the Birth of the republic to the Present, Knopf, New York, 1973.

Collins, Herbert Ridgeway, Threads of History, Americana Recorded on Cloth 1775 to the Present, City of Washington, Smithsonian Press, 1979.

26 Star Flag - (1837-1845) (U.S.), Flags of the World, 1 November 2011, from:
http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-1837.html

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	38
Length of Fly	68

Union/Canton
Width of Union/Canton	20.5
Length of Union/Canton	35

Stars
Comments on Star Measurements	Two stars added to the original 24 stars to represent the admission of Arkansas and Michigan into the Union
Size of Stars	4

Stripes
Width of 1st Stripe	3.5
Width of 3rd Stripe	3.5
Width of 8th Stripe	3
Width of Last Stripe	3.5
Size of Hoist	1.5

Frame
Is it framed?	no

Stars
Number of Stars	26
How are the stars embeded?	Applique
Are there stars on obverse?	yes
Are there stars on reverse?	yes
Star Pattern	6-6-6-6 with 2 additional stars in the hoist end of the canton. Two stars added to the original 24 stars to represent the admission of Arkansas and Michigan into the Union.

Stripes
Number of Stripes	13
Color of Top Stripe	Red
Color of Bottom Stripe	Red
Has a Blood Stripe?	no
Comments on Stripes	Hand sewn

Nationality
Nation Represented	United States

Fabric
Fabric	Wool
Comments on Fabric	Bunting

Stitching
Stitching	Hand

Weave
Type of Weave	Open

Attachment
Comments on Method of Attachmen	Three "buttonhole" style grommets. Eyelet or grommett through header.
Method of Attachment	Whip-stitched

Applica
Applique Sides	Single Faced = Mirror Image Reverse

Documentation
Documents	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Drawings	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Research Documents	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Public Copy & Signs	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.

Condition
Condition	Excellent
Damage	Used, worn
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	1840