Beschreibung:

Printed flag on glazed muslin, 19.5 x 36 in. Staggered star pattern. Personal signatures of 28 member of the United Confederate Veterans attending Memphis reunion May 1901. Ca 1901. Prior to 1889, Confederate fraternal organizations existed on a local and regional level, however in June of that year several of these groups met in New Orleans to form the United Confederate Veterans Association. Similar in organization to the Grand Army of the Republic, the main purposes of the association were to provide for widows and orphans of former Confederate soldiers, care for disabled soldiers, preserve service records and organize reunions and fraternal gatherings. The UCV was active into the 1940s, with the last reunion held in Norfolk, Virginia in 1951. This autographed commemorative flag containing the signatures of 28 members of the Louisiana delegation to the UCV national reunion in Memphis, including their military titles, Louisiana camp names, and the date signed between May 28-30, 1901. Nearly all inscriptions are written with a lead pencil with a few written in indelible ink. Accompanying the flag is a compilation of the names inscribed on the flag and a plethora of research documentation regarding each signee. A photo negative of the flag was used to help interpret some of the signatures that were illegible or difficult to decipher. Also the flag itself is an early example of the use of a 48-star flag during the first decade of the twentieth century. Provenance:J. Richard Pierce Collection of American Parade Flags Condition: Staining and toning to flag. Some small holes throughout. Some fraying/short tears along edges, particularly fly end. Accompanying the flag is a compilation of the names inscribed on the flag and a plethora of research documentation regarding each signee. A photo negative of the flag was used to help interpret some of the signatures that were illegible or difficult to decipher.