Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

United States of America 15-star Flag
1794-1818
Maker not marked
USA
Wool bunting, linen
overall: 153"h x 129-1/2"w
Gift of John E. Craver
95.021

15-Star American flag. Fourteen red and white stripes (originally had 15). Blue canton with fifteen white stars arranged in an elongated oval.

Makers sewed this flag to fly over a military fort (or garrison) or on a vessel, marking them as U.S. property. Unfortunately, we do not know who made the flag or where it flew. The flag is made of wool bunting, a lightweight, mildew-resistant, coarsely woven fabric. The blue section, called a canton, is colored with indigo. This dye, common during the late 1700s and early 1800s, provided a deep, permanent color that rarely faded. The stars are made out of linen. In 1996 and 1997, conservators worked 500 hours to stabilize the flag and prepare it for display. First, the flag was vacuumed and then gently washed to remove as many stains as possible. Conservators stabilized areas of fabric loss with patches, using fabric dyed as closely as possible to the colors of the flag. They also carefully removed old repairs that were causing distortions to the fabric. Finally, a supportive backing was attached to the flag. The back board that supports it in its specially constructed case is slightly angled, and the lighting is kept low to help preserve the flag for generations to come. You may notice that the Museum’s flag has only 14 stripes; one was removed prior to its donation, probably due to deterioration, or by a souvenir seeker. The 15 star and 15 stripe design remained official 1818, when legislators adopted the 20-star flag, choosing to add one star for each new state, while keeping the number of stripes at 13. This same basic design is still used today. The National Heritage Museum’s 15-star flag is one of only a handful still in existence known to have been made between 1794 and 1818, based on their design, materials, and construction. The most famous 15-star flag is the Star-Spangled Banner, which flew at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) to write the words to what is now the National Anthem. Initially made as a garrison flag to mark Fort McHenry as American property, the Star-Spangled Banner was stitched by Mrs. Mary Pickersgill (1776-1857) in 1813. A descendant of the commanding officer at Fort McHenry in 1813 gave that flag to the Smithsonian Institution in 1912. For additional information, see blog post, August 20, 2009 http://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/2009/08/a-national-treasure.html