$800
Estimate: $1,500 - $2,500
A Grand Old Flag: The Stars and Stripes Collection of Dr. Peter J. Keim
Auction: November 24, 2019 1:00:00 PM EDT
Hand-sewn, single appliqued cotton stars arranged in 6 rows of 6 on a wool bunting canton, the stars 'peek' through, the canton stamped with yellow/gold image of a young man in archaic dress holding a banner inscribed, "Excelsior," wool bunting stripes, canvas hoist retains rope and is inscribed, "B. Tinson 303" and "W.T."
11 ft. x 17 ft.Provenance: James D. Julia, Spring 2005, lot 930.
Note: The unusual stamp found on the canton was once thought to depict a Zouave soldier, actually depicts an image frequently printed on patriotic Civil War envelopes with the captions, "Young America Off for The War," or "Our Country Forever." The figure was inspired by the popular 1841 poem "Excelsior" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. After the Civil War, the image appears on 1 cent Excelsior Match stamps in Baltimore, Maryland.