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The Grand Luminary or
Great Star pattern is one of the most desirable and
striking patterns of early American flags. This
particular example, made of cotton and hand-sewn, dates
to the pre-Civil War era, displaying a complement of 31
stars for California Statehood. Flags that pre-date the
Civil War are scare, since Americans typically did not
make or fly flags for personal use in large numbers
prior to the patriotic outpouring that occurred during
and after the war. The use of cotton in the manufacture
of flags from the 19th century is typically indicative
of a homemade example, since cotton fabric was readily
available at the local general store or dry goods
retailers. The blue cotton fabric of the canton is a
very fine polished cotton fabric, while the cotton
fabric of the red and white stripes of the flag is very
thin and somewhat fragile. The cotton hoist has four
small, finely sewn grommets whip-stitched around metal
rings to to reinforce the fabric. the beautiful Great
Star on the flag stands straight on the canton and
surrounds a single large Center Star, representing
California. Although 31 star flags were official for a
long period of time--from July 4, 1851 to July 4,
1858--period American flags in the 31 star count are
very scarce, with just a handful of examples known.
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