United States Grand Luminary Flags

13 Star U.S. Flag - Grand Luminary design, Revolutionary & Early Federal Period.This 13 Star Flag duplicates the star arrangement in the Glory of the 1782 Great Seal of the U.S. The 13 stars are arranged in a "grand luminary," a pre- cursor to the Great Star design.This flag is dated to between 1782 and 1790.

U.S. 16 Star Flag - Grand Luminary "Peoples Flag". This is a 16 Star flag in the Grand Luminary pattern, circa 1796-1808. After Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union in 1791 and 1792, Congress approved a 15-star 15-stripe flag in 1795. After that new stars officially recognized no new States until a revised law went into effect in 1818.

21 Star U.S. "Grand Luminary" Flag, 1818 - 1819, former Norm Flayderman Collection. The 21-star Grand Luminary flag represented the new state of Illinois, admitted in 1818 when James Monroe was president. It was officially in use for only one year, replaced in 1820 when Maine and Alabama joined the Union.

26 Star U.S. Flag - "Gildersleeve Meteor Flag". Boleslaw Mastai attributed fanciful names to star patterns appearing on his flags. Most of these names are not known to have been used historically. He called this the "Gildersleeve Comet Flag" or the "Shooting Star Flag" and saw it as rushing headlong into space, trailing its stars of glory.

U.S. 26 Star "Grand Luminary" 1837 - 1845, large maritime or institutional flag. This period example 26 star U.S. flag was conceived upon the admission of Michigan as the 26th state on January 26, 1837. This would remain a popular design of United States flag until the admission of Florida on March 3, 1845.

A 26-Star U.S. flag commemorating the addition of Michigan to the Union. This is a 26-Star flag commemorating the addition of Michigan to the Union on January 26, 1837 with stars of various sizes arranged in a tilted "Great Star". This flag is thought to be one of the earliest examples of printed parade flags.

26 Star U.S. Flag, 1837 - 1845, Grand Luminary Political Parade Flag. During the presidential election campaigns of 1840 and 1844 the U.S. flag was integrated into the campaigns. Small silk, Grand Luminary flags, such as this, were freely distributed to political partisans to use at ralleys and parades.

U.S. 28 Star flag made to indicate the admission of Texas as the 28th state to the Union on December 29, 1845. This U.S. 28 Star National Flag in a "Grand Luminary" star pattern; the National Color of the 4th Louisiana Militia, raised in1846, but disband before seeing any combat.

U.S. 31 Stars Flag Commemorating California's Admission into the Union, September 9, 1850. This period example 31 stars U.S. flag was made to indicate the admission of California as the 31st state and would remain accurate until the admission of Minnesota on May 11, 1858, a period of 7 years, 8 months and 2 days.

16 Star U.S. "Grand Luminary" Northern Abolitionist Exclusionary Flag. This is a 16 star Exclusionary Grand Luminary Stars and Stripes made during the period from 1850 to 1858. These abolitionist flags featured stars only for the free states, excluding the 15 slave states from the total represented.

33 Star U.S. Grand Luminary Flag, 1859 - 1861, former Soldiers & Sailors Museum & Memorial Collection. The canton of this Grand Luminary flag is its most striking feature. The use of four different size stars to form the great star on a Grand Luminary flag is thought to be not only unique, but also extremely rare.

33 Star U.S. Grand Luminary Flag, 1859 - 1861, former Harry Oswald Collection. Grand Luminary star arrangement had been advocated for decades earlier as a star pattern for United states flags, and it still enjoyed great popularity at the beginning of the Civil War, as this home-made flag demonstrates.

34 Star US Flag, 1863 - 1865, "Grand Luminary", Parade Flag. This is a 34 star flag made of silk that was acquired by Professor Henry Berger's father from an estate out of Frederick, MD, during the late 30s or 40s, or early 50s. It is rare to have such large stars in the corners.

34 Star Grand Luminary Flag used in President Lincoln's Funeral. After his assassination a funeral cortege by railroad was planned. At each stop his body would lay in state so that the nation might mourn its fallen martyr. This flag was flying when Lincoln's funeral train arrived at Albany on the tracks of the NY Central Railroad.

35 Star U.S. Flag - Grand Luminary "Hidden Star". This Grand Luminary flag with 35 star pattern is unique; a "Great Star" created by twenty smaller stars surrounds a large central star. The use of this Civil War era flag is unknown, particularly because it bears no resemblance to any equally sized flag issued to U.S. troops at this time.

36 Star U.S. "Grand Luminary" - President Abraham Lincoln Mourning Flag. This 36 star grand luminary flags history is rich; it was used as a mourning flag after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. It was formerly part of the acclaimed collection of noted antique dealer Mr. Boleslaw Mastai and his wife Marie-Louise d'Otrange Mastai.

38 Star Grand Luminary U.S. Flag - Colorado's admission into the Union, 1876. One of the last examples of the "Grand Luminary" flags. As the star count increased it became aestecially impossible to render an attractive "great star" and the popularity of the design wanted.

U.S. 48 Star Flag - Grand Luminary in a single ring. This home-made, cotton, 48-star Grand Luminary flag has a most unique star pattern; featuring 48 stars arranged in a five-point of 21 stars inside a single ring of 27 stars. Additionally this is an 'Anticipatory' flag, meaning a flag made before there were even 48 states within the Union

U.S. 48 Star Flag "Whipple Flag", 1912. 48 star flag with its stars arranged in a central star to symbolize the 13 original states. The ring of stars around the "Great Star" represents the 25 states admitted to the Union up to the time of the First centennial Exposition of 1876. An outer ring symbolizes the 10 states admitted after that.

48 Star American "Whipple Pennant", 1912 "Peace Pennant" Its stars arranged in a central star to symbolize the 13 original states. The ring of stars around the central star represent the 25 states admitted to the Union up to the time of the First centennial Exposition of 1876. An outer ring symbolizes the 10 states admitted after Centennial