U.S. 30 Star Flag, 1st US flag over Wilmington, NC

30 Star U.S. Flag, 1858 - 1850, 1st U.S. flag to fly over Wilmington, NC 1865.
This large hand-sewn silk U.S. flag was represents the admission of Wisconsin to the Union in 1848. The Compromise of 1820 called for a careful pairing of free and slave states in order to maintain parity between North and South in the U.S. Senate. What would prove to be the last balancing act in conformity with that policy was accomplished during the final months of the War with Mexico. Florida and Texas entered the Union as slave states in 1845. Iowa's entry into the Union on December 28th, 1846, had paired with Florida's statehood at 14 states each slave and free. The balance needed to match. Texas entry was accomplished when Wisconsin was admitted into the Union as the thirtieth state, the fifteenth free state. That regional equality was to be short-lived. The new territory acquired from Mexico as a result of the war (1846-1848) reopened the controversy with renewed bitterness.

This flag was the property of Mr. Joseph Henry Neff of Wilmington, NC. Neff was a local politician who kept a combination saloon and billiards parlor at 20 Water St., fronting the Cape Fear River. It was Mastai # 255.

Exhibition History:
First Presidio Exhibit
(ZFC0636)
Thirty-Star United States Flag

Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 Gallery II
(ZFC0636)
30-Star United States Flag

Publication History:
Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, pp. 50-51.

Provenance:

• Mr. Joseph Neff, Wilmington, NC, 1865.
• Sold at auction via Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, NY 1970.
• Acquired by Mr. & Mrs. Boleslaw & Marie-Louise D'Otrange Mastai, New York City, and Amagansett, NY, The Mastai Collection, until 2002.
• Sold via Sotheby's Auction in New York City to the Zaricor Flag Collection, 2002.
Deaccessed at auction via Bonham's 21 November 2023, Auction #BOK23110NY, - 28447 -
Lot #97


ZFC Significant Flag
Item is Framed

Sources:

---

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.

Sale Number 3094, Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, Parke-Bernet, 1970.

Haddock, T.M., Haddock's Wilmington, N.C., Directory, and General Advertiser, Containing a General and Business Directory of the City, Historical Sketch, State, County, City Government, &c., &c. Wilmington, J.A. Engelhard, Steam Power Press Print, 1871.

Arrest, The Daily Dispatch: July 23, 1861, 11 November 2011, from: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2006.05.0225:article=13&highlight=neff

Evans, William McKee, Ballots and Fencerails: Reconstruction on the Lower Cape Fear River, Athens, University of Georgia Press, 1995.

(Formerly in the Mastai - Early American Sub-collection.)


Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
Parke-Bernet Inc.

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	72
Length of Fly	120

Stars
Comments on Star Measurements	30 Stars (5 horizontal rows of 6 starts each)

Frame
Is it framed?	yes
Frame Height	83
Frame Length	143

Stars
Number of Stars	30
How are the stars embeded?	Hand Stitched
Are there stars on obverse?	yes
Are there stars on reverse?	yes
Comments on Stars	30 Stars (5 horizontal rows of 6 starts each)
Star Pattern	30 Stars (5 horizontal rows of 6 starts each)
Star Field Design	Rectilinear - Horizontal

Stripes
Number of Stripes	13
Color of Top Stripe	Red
Color of Bottom Stripe	Red
Has a Blood Stripe?	no

Nationality
Nation Represented	United States

Fabric
Fabric	Silk

Stitching
Stitching	Hand

Thread
Type of Thread	Needs Analysis
Thread Material	Needs Analysis

Attachment
Method of Attachment	Roped-header

Applica
Applique Sides	Single Faced = Mirror Image Reverse

Documentation
Documents
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

Condition
Condition	Good
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	1850-1858

Exhibits

Exhibition Copy

Exhibition History First Presidio Exhibit (ZFC0636) THIRTY-STAR UNITED STATES FLAG Date: 1848-1850 Medium: Silk; all hand sewn Comment: The final balancing act in conformity with the "Compromise of 1820" was accomplished during the final months of the War with Mexico. Florida and Texas had entered the Union as "slave states" in 1845. Iowa's entry into the Union on December 28th, 1846 had balanced Florida's entry, at fourteen states each - slave and free. The fifteen to fifteen balance to match Texas' entry was accomplished on May 29th, 1848 with Wisconsin's admission into the Union as the thirtieth state, and the fifteenth "free" state. But the balance would be short-lived. The new territory acquired from Mexico as a result of the War reopened the controversy with renewed bitterness. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0636) in 2002 from the Mastai Flag Collection of New York City through auction at Sotheby's. Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 - Gallery II (ZFC0636) 30-Star United States Flag Date: 1848-1850 30 Stars: July 4, 1848-July 3, 1851 (Wisconsin statehood May 29, 1848) Medium: Silk; hand-sewn Comment: The Compromise of 1820 called for a careful pairing of free and slaves states in order to maintain parity between North and South in the U.S. Senate. What would prove to be the last balancing act in conformity with that policy was accomplished during the final months of the War with Mexico. Florida and Texas entered the Union as slave states in 1845. Iowa's entry into the Union on December 28th, 1846, had paired with Florida's statehood at 14 states each, -slave and free. The balance needed to match Texas' entry was accomplished when Wisconsin was admitted into the Union as the thirtieth state, the fifteenth free state. That regional equality was to be short-lived. The new territory acquired from Mexico as a result of the war (1846-1848) reopened the controversy with renewed bitterness. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0636) in 2002 from the Mastai Flag Collection through auction at Sotheby's of New York City.

Publications

Publication Copy

Publication History: Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, pp. 50-51. 30-Star United States Flag The Compromise of 1820 called for a careful pairing of free and slaves states in order to maintain parity between North and South in the U.S. Senate. What would prove to be the last balancing act in conformity with that policy was accomplished during the final months of the War with Mexico. Florida and Texas entered the Union as slave states in 1845. Iowa's entry into the Union on December 28th, 1846, had paired with Florida's statehood at 14 states each-slave and free. The balance needed to match Texas' entry was accomplished when Wisconsin was admitted into the Union as the thirtieth state, the fifteenth free state. That regional equality was to be short-lived. The new territory acquired from Mexico as a result of the war (1846-1848) reopened the controversy with renewed bitterness. President Zachary Taylor served only 16 months (March 1849-July 1850) before dying of natural causes. Meanwhile, thousands moved to California in the 1849 "Gold Rush." This influx of Americans into California set the stage for statehood and a new crisis over the issue of slavery. Date: 1848 - 1850 Size: 72" hoist x 120" fly 30 Stars: July 4, 1848 - July 3, 1851 (Wisconsin statehood May 29, 1848) Medium: Silk; hand-sewn Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection in 2002 from the Mastai Flag Collection, ZFC0636"