A rare 18-star flag crafted as a child's school project during the War of 1812.

A spectacular piece of Americana.

18 Star-Flag, one of a kind

An early and rare 18-star, 4 white-stripes 3 red stripes. American national folk art flag, circa early 19th century. This extraordinary textile features a highly stylized, non-linear arrangement of 18 hand-cut, single-appliquéd stars set against a hand-dyed indigo canton. Deviating sharply from official federal flag regulations, the maker utilizes an idiosyncratic configuration of only seven horizontal stripes (4 white 3 red). Chronologically, an 18-star count corresponds to the admission of Louisiana to the Union (1812–1816); however, due to the seven-stripe format and homespun assembly. This piece represents a classic commemorative folk art creation.

The entire banner is completely hand-stitched from early cotton-flax fabric and is archivally pressure-mounted against a black fabric matboard inside a deeply molded, distressed gilt-wood frame.
The textile exhibits heavy, historically significant distress and advanced degradation consistent with a 19th-century folk artifact. The fragile cotton ground shows massive structural losses, including severe fraying, loose threads, and highly irregular, jagged perimeters along all edges and interior seams. Intense age-toning, amber oxidation, and localized dark staining are prevalent across the white fields, accompanied by minor color bleeding from the red stripe backround. The indigo-dyed canton displays moderate fading and surface wear but retains its deep historic coloration. The piece has been stabilized via professional archival framing to prevent further textile loss and shows no signs of active deterioration.
 
Flag Size:    (HXL) 7”x12 ”)

Frame Size (HXL):  12”x 17”
                               

Email: jtfrancis1775@gmail.com

Item: 18-819-188