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On July 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, passed the following resolution:
"Resolved
That the Flag of the united states (sic) be 13 stripes alternate red
and white, that the Union be 13 stars white in a blue field
representing a new constellation.-"
Since
no provision was made as to precise design, the interpretation of the
arrangement of the two design components, the stars and the stripes,
was left to the imagination of the individual flag makers. Political
and patriotic slogans also appeared on flags. In some instances, the
canton was placed on the right, contrary to present usage. Results were
startlingly original, frequently beautiful, always unique.
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About This Exhibit
The
antique American flags shown here were part of the collection of Mr.
and Mrs. Boleslaw Mastai, formerly of New York City. The collection was
the result of fifty years of research and study by the team. All the
flags are illustrated and described in their book, that was hailed as
"a revelation of the American Flag as art and as social history"; The Stars and The Stripes; The American Flag from Birth of the Republic to the Present, by Boleslaw and Marie-Louise d'Otrange Mastai (Published by Alfred Knopf, New York 1973, Book-of-the Month 1973).
The
Mastai's are deceased and their lives' work was sold at auction by
Sotheby's in 2002. This exhibit remains as a tribute to their passion
for the art and social history of the American Flag.
I
met the Mastai's on a visit they made to Mackinac Island in 1992. We started a
long correspondence. They gave me these photographs and permissions to
create this online exhibit.
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A Revelation of the American Flag as Art and as Social History Photographic Exhibit
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