American flag

Date1908-1912

Mediumcloth

Dimensions32 3/4 x 58 1/4 in. (83.2 x 148 cm)

Donor credit lineGift of Thomas Sharples

Object number1997.73

Institutional Credit LineCourtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum

DescriptionIn the 1770s, military flags and ensigns were common, but the idea of a national flag did not exist. On June 14, the Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution: “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Initially, the thirteen stars and thirteen stripes represented the original thirteen colonies. The appearance and arrangement of elements was up to the maker. The American flag has been modified 26 times since 1777. In 1795, the number of stars and stripes was increased from 13 to 15 (to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky as states of the Union). It stayed that way until 1818, when Congress reduced the number of stripes to 13 in honor of the original colonies and increased the stars to 20, agreeing to add a new one for every new state. Textiles quickly became a way to share national pride, especially by women, who stitched different versions of the American flag by hand and later by machine.

This United States of America flag with 46 stars is made of linen cloth with stars on a field of blue and 7 red stripes and 6 white stripes, machine sewn and hand mended; two grommets on edging that would have been against pole, several tears and mends and a yellow stain in the middle.

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