U.K Oriental Club House Flag.
This large colorful flag is the house flag of the Oriental Club in London. Although modern in construction and materials, the flag represents a direct link to the proud traditions of the early 19th century. The Oriental Club is a private, member's only institution that was founded in 1824 as a traditional gentleman's club for officers and officials of Britain's eastern empire as a valued haven of the comfortingly familiar for those returning from the exotic climes and cultures of the Orient. Accordingly the flag of the club is a black Indian Elephant on a green and yellow vertical bi-color field.

The Club's founder was Field Marshall Sir Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington who also served as the club's first and only president. The Duke of Wellington rose to prominence as a general during the Napoleonic Wars, being most remembered for his defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. Wellesley served in India between 1797 and 1805 with both great distinction, rising in grade from Lieutenant Colonel to Major General; and with great success, amassing a small personal fortune from campaign prize money.

When the organization was in its formative stages it sought out those who had served either the British Crown or the British East India Company:
'Noblemen and gentlemen associated with the administration of our Eastern empire, or who have travelled or resided in Asia, at St. Helena, in Egypt, at the Cape of Good Hope, the Mauritius, or at Constantinople"

Since its founding the Oriental Club has, from its central London location, been providing the traditional amenities of a "gentleman's club" - a refuge from the world; fine dining; overnight accommodations; smoking and billiard lounges; club rooms and an active social calendar. However in the 21st century membership neither requires service in the "Eastern Empire" nor is it exclusively male. The Oriental Club of today boasts a diverse membership, just as at home in the fashionable shops of London's Bond St or on a corporate board room as the membership of over a century ago were on the back of an elephant or treating with a maharaja.

The Oriental Club's flags are made by the venerable British flagmaker Turtle and Pearce. Founded in 1872 Turtle and Pearce provide flags to the British Government and Armed Forces; political parties; trade unions; Masonic Lodges; Heraldic Flags & Banners for Westminster Abbey & St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle. Oriental Club flags are very rare, their use is restricted by the club and almost unknown outside the U.K.


Provenance:
* Made by Turtle and Pearce, flag makers, London, UK, 2008.
* Oriental Club, London, UK, 2008 - 2009.
* Gifted by Oriental Club to Ben Zaricor, Zaricor Flag Collection, 2010.

Sources: