U.S. 34 Star Flag - Arthur Bullus Bradford.

34 Star U.S. Flag, made in China for abolitionist Arthur Bullus Bradford, 1st U.S. Consul to Amoy, China.
Likely one of the first U.S. flags made in China. It belonged to Arthur Bullus Bradford (1810-1899), who was President Abraham Lincoln's Consul to Amoy, China in 1861. This was a flag he had made and used during his tenure in Amoy, China.

Note that the canton has been turned 90 degrees to be vertical instead of horizontal which was the correct way to orient the canton. Likely the Chinese maker was using a sketch or written description and he made the mistake of having the star pattern run in vertical rows.

Bradford was an abolitionist from an early age, Arthur Bradford and his wife Elizabeth (Wicks) settled in Darlington where he became preacher at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church. He advocated abolition in his sermons and spoke on the subject across the Mid Atlantic region.
Bradford wrote articles on abolition for various newspapers, including William Lloyd Garrison's Liberator. His Darlington home, Buttonwood, was an Underground Railroad station, and the Bradford daughters spent much time making clothes to disguise fugitive slaves that passed through their home. Buttonwood was an integral link on the route from New Brighton/Beaver to Enon Valley in Lawrence County, and then into Ohio. The conductors on this Underground Railroad route were mostly local, freed slaves. Fugitives probably hid either in outbuildings or possibly in a nearby coal mine. Some stayed on at the farm and worked for several weeks until moving to the next station.
Because of his outspoken abolitionist activities along the Pennsylvania Maryland state line, the Mason-Dixon Line, numerous threats were made on his life. Fearing for his safety his wife implored Lincoln to give him a diplomatic appointment. He stayed in China for eight months, but left because of poor health and returned to the US.

Exhibition History:

Private Showing
11 November 2008
Tiger 21 Meeting, Muir Room
Four Seasons Hotel, San Francisco, CA

Private Showing
Night of Flags In celebration of George Washington's Birthday
The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in California
Patriotic Services Committee

Private Showing
8 June 2010
Tiger 21 Meeting,
Omni Hotel, San Francisco, CA

University of California - Santa Cruz
Board of Councilors Meeting, Rare Flags Exhibit
Santa Cruz, CA
7 June 2012

ZFC Significant Flag
Item is Framed

Provenance:
• Acquired by Arthur Bullus Bradford in China during service as U.S. Consul, 1861.
• By descent in the Bradford family to Great great grand daughter Ms. Donna McCarthy Luster until 2007.
• Sold via Jerry Wishart Auctions, Warren, Ohio, to Zaricor Flag Collection, 2007.



Sources:

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Arthur Bullus Bradford, Milo Adams Townsend and Social Movements of the Nineteenth Century, 12 November 2011, from: http://www.bchistory.org/beavercounty/booklengthdocuments/AMilobook/title.html

Bradford, Arthur Bullus 1810-1899, Who's Who in Pennsylvania's Underground Railroad, 12 November 2011, from:
http://www.afrolumens.org/ugrr/whoswho/bnames.html

Bradford, Arthur B. (Arthur Bullus) 1810-1899, WorldCat Identities, 12 November 2011, from: http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-nr98-11029

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection

xyz

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	23
Length of Fly	21.5

Union/Canton
Width of Union/Canton	12.5
Length of Union/Canton	10.25

Stars
Comments on Star Measurements	Sizes vary from 1.5 to 1.875
Size of Stars	1.5

Stripes
Width of 8th Stripe	1.5
Width of Last Stripe	1.25
Size of Hoist	0

Frame
Is it framed?	yes
Frame Height	25.5
Frame Length	27
Comments on Frame	TPA Frame

Stars
Number of Stars	34
How are the stars embeded?	Dyed
Are there stars on obverse?	yes
Are there stars on reverse?	yes

Stripes
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

Weave
Type of Weave	Plain

Applica
Applique Sides	Single Faced = Mirror Image Reverse

Documentation
Research Documents

Condition
Condition	Fair
Damage	Used, worn, stained with fabric separation
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	1861-1862

Exhibits

Exhibition Copy

University of California - Santa Cruz Board of Councilors Meeting, Rare Flags Exhibit Santa Cruz, CA 7 June 2012 Santa Cruz, CA, June 7, 2012: The Zaricor Flag Collection exhibited 34 flags and artifacts at the University of California Santa Cruz Campus for the Board of Councilors Meeting. 34 Star U.S. Flag, 1st Consular Officer Amoy, China 1861 Date: 1862 Media: Silk. Comment: One of the first U.S. flags made in China, belonged to Arthur Bullus Bradford (1810-1899), President Abraham Lincoln's first consul, to Amoy, (now Xiamen) China in 1861. This was a flag he had made from a silk handkerchief, during his tenure in China. Arthur Bradford and his wife Elizabeth, nee Wicks, settled in Darlington, PA, where he became preacher at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church. Bradford wrote articles on abolition for various newspapers, including William Lloyd Garrison's Liberator. His Darlington home, Buttonwood, was an Underground Railroad station, and the daughters spent much time making clothes to disguise fugitive slaves. Buttonwood was an integral link on the route from New Brighton/Beaver to Enon Valley in Lawrence County, and then on to Ohio. The conductors on this Underground Railroad route were mostly local, freed slaves, often working for their keep, until moving to the next station. Because of Bradford's outspoken abolitionist activities, numerous threats were made on his life. Fearing for his safety his wife implored Lincoln to give him a diplomatic appointment. He stayed in China for eight months and returned to the U.S. in 1863 with this flag. Note that the canton has been turned 90 degrees to be vertical instead of horizontal which was the traditional orientation of the canton. Likely the Chinese maker was using a sketch or written description and he made a choice to place the star pattern in vertical rows, almost as if he were doing Chinese calligraphy, a familiar design element. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC2555) at auction in 2008, from the Great-great-granddaughter of Arthur Bullus Bradford, Mrs. Dona McCaughtry Luster, via Jerry Wishart Auctions, Warren, Ohio. www.FlagCollection.com