"God Bless America" Patriotic Embroideries, c.1920

A floral shirred rug, New England, circa 1850. Professionally mounted on stretched canvas frame. 67 by 32 inches

Fine Scottish silk-on-linen sampler worked by Elizabeth Muir, aged 13 years, Burton, September 8, circa 1822, of East Lothian parish, featuring alphabet and number panels above paren...

A Pennsylvania fraktur bird and flower, 19th century. On stationary paper with embossed maker mark upper left of oval profile bust. piece: 4 ½ by 7 inches frame: 8 ⅛ by 11 ⅜ in...

A pair of engravings from Antonio Maria Stagnon’s Women's fashion in Piedmont at the end of the 18th century, published 1780. 9 ¼ by 12 ½ inches

38 STARS IN AN EXTREMELY UNUSUAL CONFIGURATION THAT BEARS A CLUSTER OF 6 SMALL STARS WITHIN A LINEAL PATTERN OF LARGER STARS, 1876-1889, COLORADO STATEHOOD 38 star American national parade flag, printed on cotton. This is an extremely rare example of a lineal pattern flag with a wreath or cluster of smaller stars inserted in the center. A very small number of flags in this style are known to have survived, the colors of which are typically saturated and vibrant, like this example, in scarlet red and rich, royal blue. The particular wreath in the center of the configuration is really more of a pentagon with a single, center star. The reason for the choice of the design and 6 smaller stars seems a curious one on the surface, but its purpose was probably nothing more than to simply augment a 36 star print block to one with 38 stars. One may observe how 4 stars, that would have comprised the center of a 6 x 6 pattern, could have simply been removed and 6 smaller stars inserted in their place, in an artful fashion. At least two other similar 38-star patterns are known that incorporate 4 small stars intermingled between rows of what most certainly were two very similar 34-star flag print blocks originally. It was easier to modify these blocks rather than create brand new ones. In these particular instances, the results are rare, quirky configurations that are highly prized by collectors. Colorado became the 38th state on August 1st, 1876. This was the year of our nation’s 100-year anniversary of independence. Per the Third Flag Act of 1818, stars were not officially added until the 4th of July following a state's addition. For this reason, 37 was the official star count for the American flag in 1876. Flag-making was a competitive venture, however, and few flag-makers would have been continuing to produce 37 star flags when their competitors were making 38’s. It is for this reason that 38 and 13 stars (to represent the original 13 colonies) are more often seen at the Centennial International Exposition, the six-month long World’s Fair held in Philadelphia in honor of the event. Some flag-makers would have been adding a star for the 38th state even before it entered the Union, in the early part of 1876 or even prior. In fact, many makers of parade flags were actually producing 39 star flags, in hopeful anticipation of the addition of two more Western Territories instead of one. But the 39th state would not join the Union for another 13 years, when the Dakota Territory entered as two states on the same day. The 38 star flag became official on July 4th, 1877 and was generally used until the addition of the Dakotas in 1889. Provenance: Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques to the late collector Jim Ring...

45 STAR ANTIQUE AMERICAN PARADE FLAG WITH ITS STARS ARRANGED IN A NOTCHED PATTERN, 1896-1908, UTAH STATEHOOD: 45 star American national flag, printed on coarse, glazed cotton. Evide...

A silk embroidery panel that depicts an American eagle perched on the liberty shield, with laurel branches and shooting arrows under the feet and flanked by four American flags and b...

33 STARS IN A DOUBLE-WREATH CONFIGURATION, ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG DATING IMMEDIATELY PRE-CIVIL WAR THROUGH THE WAR'S OPENING YEAR, REFLECTS THE ADDITION OF OREGON TO THE UNION, ...