"HARRISON AND REFORM" LOG CABIN & HARD CIDER BARREL 1840 CAMPAIGN AMERICAN FLAG.
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Winning Bid:
$25,129.28
(Includes 18% Buyer's Premium)
Bidding Ended:
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 9:00:00 PM (20 Minute Clock Begins At Tuesday, March 19, 2024 9:00:00 PM)
Item Description
During the 1840 campaign Harrison was 67 years old, the oldest Presidential candidate to date at a time when life expectancy was roughly 40 years. His opponent Martin Van Buren suggested he was better suited to sipping hard cider outside a log cabin and with that statement one of the most effective campaign devices in American history was born. The Harrison campaign ran with the hard cider & log cabin motif painting their candidate as a man of the people while portraying Van Buren as an out of touch aristocrat who would rather drink champagne. The popularity of the design is reflected in the litany of surviving artifacts from lapel brooches, canes, tokens, ribbons, and textiles proudly displaying the log cabin & hard cider barrel. The campaign of 1840 was a watershed moment in the history of Presidential campaign material culture representing the first major widespread use of trinkets for the many parades, demonstrations and gatherings focused mostly on the Whig candidate William Henry Harrison. This flag is among the most impressive survivors utilizing the device that was so critical to the progress of American political campaigning.
22x28". Silk. Unlisted in Threads of History. A canton of 13 stars arranged as a wreath of 12 stars encircling a large star at center, a pattern known as the "3rd Maryland" a reference to the regiment of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Tack mounted to "Bainbridge 791" board in two less than 1" dia. dots at top r/l near corners. Scattered tiny holes most notably one just to the right of the "H" in "Harrison" and some minor staining most notably a dot to the right of "N" in "Harrison" and in the field of the Hard Cider barrel. Superb colors make the overall appearance magnificent. Technically VG but displaying well above grade. Flags from the 1840 campaign are the earliest printed parade flags and this is the only example we can recall in commerce in the past 30 years. An amazing survivor and certain to be a cornerstone artifact in its next caretaker's collection.
A note from Americana Director Scott Mussell: If I were to choose a single item to represent the Harrison campaign this would be it. This flag was among the highlights of a major campaign textile collection and was greatly enjoyed for decades by its last caretaker. I cannot recall encountering another specimen and in conversation with Ted Hake he could not recall another in his 67 years, thus making this a perhaps once in a lifetime opportunity. An ideal choice for a collector seeking the very finest in any field.
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