13 Star U.S. flag - Centennial Flag, used in 1876 .
This small 13 star flag, which was both machine- and hand-sewn, belonged to the personal collection of William H. Guthman, founder of Guthman Americana in Wesport, Connecticut. Guthman was a respected dealer, scholar and author, and was considered a preeminent authority on Colonial and Federal period militaria.

Guthman, an American-history buff since his youth, began seriously collecting military antiques in 1966 after his profession as a textile-manufacturing executive. As a prominent antiques dealer, he specialized in historical American military antiques. Mr. Guthman's collection primarily contained artifacts from the French & Indian and American Revolutionary Wars. Due to his vast knowledge and well-known collection, Guthman helped make a name for military antiques in the collecting world. He also helped increase interest in the objects among art museums, as he was one of the very first people to opine that militaria was also folk art.

Probably no 13 star American flag is better known to the general public than the "Betsy Ross design" with its 13 red and white stripes and single ring of 13 white 5 point stars. Historians today think that most flags from the years 1777-1795 (when the 13 star flag was official) had rows of stars, not constellations. The reason for this (on sewn flags) was largely practical. It is easier to sew stars onto flags in rows rather than geometric shapes. The five point star is thus not only easier to see, but easier to make as well.

Referencing surviving examples and period illustrations, the 4-5-4 star pattern is both one of the earliest and one of the most common documented 18th century star arrangements. Conversely, the star pattern of 3,2,3,2,3 is a Revolutionary War star pattern that was only used throughout the early 19th century. In all 13 star flags both stars and stripes stand for the 13 original states of the Union.

Acquired with ZFC0114

Exhibition History:
First Presidio Exhibit
(ZFC1091)
Thirteen-Star, United States Flag

Second Presidio Exhibit Gallery One Copy 2003
ZFC1091
13-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, p. 23.

ZFC Significant Flag
Item is Framed

Provenance:

• William Guthman of Westport, CT, until 1995.
• Acquired by purchase by the Zaricor Flag Collection, 1995.



Sources:



Potts, Monica, January 9, 2006, William Guthman, Antiques Dealer, Is Dead at 81 , New York Times.com, 4 October 2011, from: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/09/nyregion/09guthman.html

Beach, Laura, Jan 3rd, 2006, Noted Scholar and Dealer William H. Guthman Dies, Antiques and the Arts Online, 4 October, 2011, from: http://antiquesandthearts.com/Antiques/TradeTalk/2006-01-03__07-52-07.htmll

Cooper, Grasce Rogers, Thirteen-Star Flags: Keys to Identification, Smithsonian Institution Press, City of Washington, 1973. Pp.8,9,10,11 & 51.