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CIVIL WAR 35 STAR AMERICAN FLAG AND HANDMADE FOLK

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,750.00 USD Estimated At:3,500.00 - 4,500.00 USD
CIVIL WAR 35 STAR AMERICAN FLAG AND HANDMADE FOLK
CIVIL WAR 35 STAR AMERICAN FLAG AND HANDMADE FOLK ART TRIANGULAR BOX MARKED LIBBY PRISON. An unusual group consisting of a hand made wooden box containing a 35 star (1863) civil war period American flag. The box is made of wide width yellow pine in the shape of a 20” equilateral triangle 9” high with planed moldings at the base and two decorative 4-pc wooden lozenges applied to two sides fashioned of cut molding. The box is hinged with two brass hinges and secured by in interior lock, which is opened by means of a finishing nail in a “secret” hole to one side. On one flat of the triangular box is written, “Libby Prison/May 1865” in what appears to be India ink. The box is assembled with round head finishing nails with additional flat head nails added at a later period here and there. Inside the box is a large garrison size civil War American flag. The flag dates to the period 1863-1865 and measures 7’ X 12” having 35 stars, 13 stripes-all hand sewn. The stars are visible on both sides of the canton by means of a cut through for each star. They are arranged in the canton in linear form. I examined the box very carefully and it appears to be a late 19th century or turn of the 20th century creation-possibly made from floor boards or other wooden components salvaged from the building when is was dismantled in Chicago in 1899 to make room for the Chicago Coliseum (Libby Prison had been dismantled from its Richmond home, taken to Chicago and set up as a public museum some ten years earlier). The box is constructed of old wood. There is no other provenance with the box other than the words penned on the outside (which appear to have some age but the style of writing is incongruent with mid-to-late 19th century penmanship). It is a curious and interesting box and I find the “secret” locking mechanism to be of some interest. Accompanying the box is a small “key” made of a tiny cylinder of wood with an iron finishing nail inserted which is used to insert into the “secret” hole in one side and opens the locking mechanism. CONDITION: Box shows wear and use-edges are scuffed. Various markings are scribbled on the inside here and there, and some of the mitered seams have separated. Box has been repaired on a couple of occasions. It is crudely made-for instance-the two hinges have only two wood screws in each side (the third was never inserted) while there are three screw holes in each side of each hinge. Flag retains its bright colors. Canton is in excellent condition but the stripes show wears with many minor tears and holes throughout. 4-55338 (3,500-4,500)