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Property from the Zaricor Flag Collection: The 19th Century
Lot 96
A U.S. 23 TO 28 STAR "CONVERSION FLAG" ATTRIBUTED TO FORTRESS MONROE. Hand-sewn wool U.S. Flag with sewn cotton stars, 180 x 252 inches, canton 98 x 104 inches, white hoist, stars in 3-5-4-5-4-5-2,
21 November 2023, 10:00 EST
New YorkUS$6,000 - US$8,000
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A U.S. 23 TO 28 STAR "CONVERSION FLAG" ATTRIBUTED TO FORTRESS MONROE.
Hand-sewn wool U.S. Flag with sewn cotton stars, 180 x 252 inches, canton 98 x 104 inches, white hoist, stars in 3-5-4-5-4-5-2, in poor condition, separated vertically, and with loss throughout.
Provenance: Fortress Monroe, Virginia, 1820s to 1860s; acquired and retained by Union Army Paymaster Major Eliphalet Rowell, as a memento of service until 1899; by donation to the Lowell Museum in Hallowell, Maine, until 1987; sold via James D Julia Auction House, Fairfield, ME to John Ockerbloom of Kittery Maine, 2004; sold by John Ockerbloom Kittery Maine via Amoskeag Auction House, of Manchester, N.H, to Zaricor Flag Collection, 2004.
Exhibition: Lowell Museum, Hubbard Free Library, Hallowell, Maine, circa 1899 to 1987.
A "CONVERSION FLAG," WITH STARS ADDED TO KEEP IT CURRENT.
This large wool garrison flag is an enigma. The flag has been torn vertically into two irregular pieces, making accurate identification difficult. It was previously identified as a flag from the 1837 -1846 period when U.S. flags had between 26 and 28 stars; however, there are inconsistencies in the star field that suggest it was originally made with fewer stars, and added to as more states entered the union. A close examination of the overall star design and the stitching in the seven rows of stars makes it clear that the bottom row of stars and possibly some in the top rows were added after the original manufacture. They are asymmetrical when compared to the stars in the second through fifth rows in the body of the canton. For the above-mentioned reasons, it is likely that this flag was originally a 23 star flag, with a 5-4-5-4-5 starfield, originally dating from1820-1821, and the other stars added later to keep the flag current.
While the ultimate star count is still theoretical the flag currently possesses 27 complete stars and traces of a 28th star in the top row of the canton, indicating that the tear occurred during its representation as a 28-star flag. The flag is rent in two, and there is a discoloration or a soiled appearance on the fly portion of the torn pieces, suggesting that the flag was flying from a free-standing pole when the tear took place. This tear was perhaps caused by severe weather conditions such as a hurricane. One such storm struck the fortress in 1845, during a visit from President & Mrs. John Tyler, when the 28-star flag was current. Another similar storm struck on 8 September 1846, also during the tenure of the 28-star flag.
The "Fortress Monroe Flag" was for many years displayed in the historical collections of the Lowell Museum of the Hubbard Free Library in Hallowell, Maine, donated to that institution by Union Army Paymaster Major Eliphalet Rowell. During this time it was identified by a paper label inscribed, "Fortress Monroe Flag."
Fort Monroe, the "Gibraltar of the Chesapeake," was established at "Point Comfort," the site of the landing of the first enslaved Africans in English North America. It was a pivotal point of security throughout US history.
Major Eliphalet Rowell (1822-1903) was a Hallowell, ME native who served as paymaster in the Civil War before returning to newspaper publishing in his post-war career. In his obituary, published in the Kennebec Journal November 5, 1903, he is described as "A man of greatness and ennobling influences, and characteristic righteousness ... of noble instincts and unswerving rectitude."
Provenance: Fortress Monroe, Virginia, 1820s to 1860s; acquired and retained by Union Army Paymaster Major Eliphalet Rowell, as a memento of service until 1899; by donation to the Lowell Museum in Hallowell, Maine, until 1987; sold via James D Julia Auction House, Fairfield, ME to John Ockerbloom of Kittery Maine, 2004; sold by John Ockerbloom Kittery Maine via Amoskeag Auction House, of Manchester, N.H, to Zaricor Flag Collection, 2004.
Exhibition: Lowell Museum, Hubbard Free Library, Hallowell, Maine, circa 1899 to 1987.
A "CONVERSION FLAG," WITH STARS ADDED TO KEEP IT CURRENT.
This large wool garrison flag is an enigma. The flag has been torn vertically into two irregular pieces, making accurate identification difficult. It was previously identified as a flag from the 1837 -1846 period when U.S. flags had between 26 and 28 stars; however, there are inconsistencies in the star field that suggest it was originally made with fewer stars, and added to as more states entered the union. A close examination of the overall star design and the stitching in the seven rows of stars makes it clear that the bottom row of stars and possibly some in the top rows were added after the original manufacture. They are asymmetrical when compared to the stars in the second through fifth rows in the body of the canton. For the above-mentioned reasons, it is likely that this flag was originally a 23 star flag, with a 5-4-5-4-5 starfield, originally dating from1820-1821, and the other stars added later to keep the flag current.
While the ultimate star count is still theoretical the flag currently possesses 27 complete stars and traces of a 28th star in the top row of the canton, indicating that the tear occurred during its representation as a 28-star flag. The flag is rent in two, and there is a discoloration or a soiled appearance on the fly portion of the torn pieces, suggesting that the flag was flying from a free-standing pole when the tear took place. This tear was perhaps caused by severe weather conditions such as a hurricane. One such storm struck the fortress in 1845, during a visit from President & Mrs. John Tyler, when the 28-star flag was current. Another similar storm struck on 8 September 1846, also during the tenure of the 28-star flag.
The "Fortress Monroe Flag" was for many years displayed in the historical collections of the Lowell Museum of the Hubbard Free Library in Hallowell, Maine, donated to that institution by Union Army Paymaster Major Eliphalet Rowell. During this time it was identified by a paper label inscribed, "Fortress Monroe Flag."
Fort Monroe, the "Gibraltar of the Chesapeake," was established at "Point Comfort," the site of the landing of the first enslaved Africans in English North America. It was a pivotal point of security throughout US history.
Major Eliphalet Rowell (1822-1903) was a Hallowell, ME native who served as paymaster in the Civil War before returning to newspaper publishing in his post-war career. In his obituary, published in the Kennebec Journal November 5, 1903, he is described as "A man of greatness and ennobling influences, and characteristic righteousness ... of noble instincts and unswerving rectitude."