37-Star "Grant & Colfax" Campaign Parade Flag, 1868

Presented is a rare 37–star “Grant & Colfax” campaign parade flag issued for the United States presidential election of 1868. Printed on silk in red, white, and blue, the flag’s patriotic design centers on a black and white portrait of Ulysses S. Grant encircled by a constellation of thirty seven stars. The portrait is derived from a well known photographic likeness of Grant taken when he held the rank of lieutenant general. The original photograph was produced by the noted Philadelphia photographer Frederick Gutekunst and subsequently engraved by the American engraver J. C. Buttre. Printed across the third white stripe appears the campaign slogan “Grant & Colfax” in bold blue lettering, promoting the 1868 Republican ticket of Ulysses S. Grant for president and Schuyler Colfax for vice president.

Printed campaign parade flags such as this example emerged as an important and highly visible form of political advertising during the mid nineteenth century. Beginning in the 1840s and reaching their greatest popularity between the 1860s and 1890s, these small printed flags were produced for rallies, torchlight parades, and public demonstrations of political support. They were typically printed on silk or cotton and distributed to supporters who would wave them during campaign events. Unlike traditional sewn flags intended for long term display, parade flags were ephemeral objects designed for a single election event or election cycle. As a result, relatively few examples survived in good condition, particularly those printed on fragile silk. 

The election of 1868 was one of the most consequential presidential contests of the Reconstruction era. The Republican Party nominated Ulysses S. Grant, the celebrated Union general whose military leadership had secured victory in the Civil War, while the Democratic Party nominated former New York governor Horatio Seymour with Francis P. Blair Jr. as his running mate. Grant’s candidacy symbolized Union victory and the continued federal commitment to Reconstruction in the South, while the Democratic ticket campaigned against many of the policies associated with Reconstruction. Grant and Colfax ultimately won a decisive victory in the Electoral College, receiving 214 electoral votes compared with the 80 secured by Seymour and Blair. The popular vote, however, was considerably closer than the electoral margin suggested. Grant received 52.66 percent of the vote to Seymour’s 47.34 percent. The closeness of the popular vote was notable given that newly enfranchised freedmen voted overwhelmingly for the Republican ticket, while many former Confederates in the South remained temporarily disenfranchised during Reconstruction, particularly in the states of Texas, Mississippi, and Virginia that had not yet been fully restored to the Union.

CONDITION:

Silk flag printed in red, white, and blue. The portrait of Grant is faded. Red and blue are still very vibrant. Holes and areas of separation throughout the flag, with some previously stitched repairs. Edge wear, including fraying and tears. Light soiling. Unframed dimensions: 16”H  x 25” W. 

Archivally stabilized and mounted in a custom-built black frame with gold spandrel,  black silk mats, UV plexiglas. Framed Dimensions: 25" H x 33 1/2" W x 1 5/8" D.

REFERENCE:

A larger variant of this 37-star "Grant & Colfax" silk campaign flag is referenced in Collins, Threads of History as figure 345. Collins, Herbert Ridgeway. Threads of History: Americana Recorded on Cloth, 1775 to the Present. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979.

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.