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Lot 485
13 Star U.S. Constitution Ratification Parade Flag With Pennant Silk, c. 1788. Handsewn flag and pennant, both of silk. The flag is 18 x 35¾"; the pennant is 54" long and 2" wide. Framed dimensions are 30½ x 43". Made by an experienced sewer, likely a professional flag maker. The canton measures 9¾ x 12" and is made from a single piece of fabric, which is shattered, with pieces missing. The thirteen stripes, which alternate between red and white, are made of silk ribbon, none of which is pieced. Each ribbon is approximately 1 3/8" wide. Some staining to stripes. The stars are irregularly shaped and appear to have been cut by hand. A larger five-pointed star in the center is surrounded by twelve smaller five-pointed stars, all of which are appliquéd onto the canton with hand sewing. The fly is folded over to the reverse side of the flag for just under ¼ inch and sewn with white thread on the white stripes and red thread on the red stripes. The flag does not appear to have had a hoist but was likely attached to the pole by woven tapes that were sewn onto the flag on the hoist edge; sewing holes are visible in several locations which would be suitable for attaching tape ties. A forensic report by textile expert Dr. S. Rabbit Goody, is included.
While the Constitution was being voted on for ratification, many towns and cities put on events called "Federal Processions" to rally support for the new federal-style government and constitution. Ratification by nine of the thirteen states was required for the U.S. Constitution to be officially established, and on June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, thus putting into effect the official Constitution of the United States.
The first eight states to ratify the Constitution were Delaware (Dec. 7, 1787), Pennsylvania (Dec. 12, 1787), New Jersey (Dec. 18, 1787), Georgia (Dec. 31, 1787), Connecticut (Jan. 9, 1788), Massachusetts (Feb. 6, 1788), Maryland (April 26, 1788), and South Carolina (May 23, 1788). New Hampshire was the deciding state on June 21, 1788, followed by Virginia on June 25, 1788, and New York on July 26, 1788. North Carolina (Nov. 29, 1789) and Rhode Island (May 29, 1790) were the last two states to ratify the Constitution.
Philadelphia held a spectacular July 4, 1788 Grand Federal Procession linking the U.S. Constitution with the celebration of the Declaration of Independence. It was the largest civic event the country had ever seen. Thousands of people attended and the parade covered three miles. Benjamin Franklin Bach, grandson of Benjamin Franklin, published a broadside listing the order of the procession. Alexander Reinagle, musician, wrote a Federal Grand March, and Francis Hopkinson, signer of the Declaration of Independence, wrote an ode. Famous artist Charles Wilson Peale provided flags of all of America's allies and aided in the design of costumes, banners, and mottos.
Hopkinson was also one of the principal planners and was instrumental in designing the Grand Federal Edifice, the centerpiece of the parade, which represented the Constitution. It was composed of a dome on 13 carved Corinthian pillars and beside it marched the 450 architects, carpenters, etc. who had built it. Thousands of craftsmen took part in the parade,bearing the tools of their trade. The bricklayers carried a banner which said, "Both Buildings and Rulers are the Works of our Hands." Ten ships in the harbor each flew a white flag at the masthead, spelling out in gold letters the name of one of the states which had ratified so far spelled out in gold letters.
On July 23, 1788, New York, which would not ratify the Constitution for another three days, held its own Federal Procession, and other cities such as Boston and Charleston held them as well. This flag would have been carried in one of these parades, amid great jubilation and patriotic pride.
Buyer responsible for third party shipping. Call to make arrangements.
Estimated Value $15,000-UP.
Ex. The Claude Harkins Collection of Americana; Ex Greg Caron, 2005.
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| Realized $31,200 |
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