NO.216NAVA OCTOBER DECEMBER2012 NAVA46in Columbus,Ohio · 2016-01-15 · 2·...

NO. 216 OCTOBER—DECEMBER 2012

NAVANews

www.nava.org

The Quarterly Newsletter of theNorth American Vexillological Association

NAVA 46 inColumbus, Ohio

Page 2

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE...New Members in 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Did Francis Hopkinson Design Two Flags? 7Contest Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10A New Flag for Manhattan?. . . . . . . . . . 10Raven 19 Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Honor Roll of Contributors in 2012 . . . . 12Flag Humor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Member Flag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13NAVA 47 2013: Salt Lake City, Utah . . . 14

Ohio county flags in front of theOhio Statehouse in Columbus

Steve Grant

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smoother and quicker so that you have more time to studythose flags!

As Editor Peter Ansoff notes in his column, I believe thatwe should have a meaningful discussion about changing thename of NAVA News to reflect its growth from a simplemimeographed newsletter about Association business to asignificant publication in its own right that provides a forumfor original vexillological scholarship complementing Raven.The NAVA News name does not accurately describe thisreality; the name itself does not indicate anything related toflags, which in my view is a serious omission.

Consider the American Historical Association’s compara-ble publications. The American Historical Review is similarto Raven by publishing the most significant contemporaryscholarship in our discipline, while the magazinePerspectives on History provides news and informationabout the historical profession with articles and commentaryon all aspects of the discipline, including new research andhow history is used by non-practitioners. But both publica-tions’ titles indicate their ties to the sponsoring disciplineand indicate to librarians and researchers this important tie.

There is plenty more to discuss, but I will close for now.As I am always reminded, the central charge on the NAVApresident’s flag, the Cheyenne Indian “Woheiv” star, symbol-izes hope and guidance. Once again, I will endeavor toprovide both in the coming year.

HUGH BRADYPRESIDENT

Friends:Thank you again for entrusting with the leadership of the

North American Vexillological Association by re-electing meas president. I have worked hard to justify this trust and amgrateful for this renewed opportunity to serve you.

My philosophy of leadership remains unchanged: focus-ing on the long- and short-term needs of our discipline whilebuilding a collaborative atmosphere of trust and understand-ing that promotes organizational stability and fosters theethical use of entrusted authority. I have tried to express thisphilosophy in my writings in this space over the past yearand your many expressions of support and agreement withthose thoughts have been particularly encouraging.

I note that the Executive Board has been reconfigured, asTed Kaye steps down as treasurer after 12 years in that post,and Annie Platoff retires as second vice president after four

years. Ted continues his service to theAssociation as a member of theNominating Committee and Annie willcontinue hers in the new post of direc-tor of the Digital Library.

Mary Ann Docktor-Smith beginsthis board year as our new treasurer

after a year as secretary; as I noted last year, she is a delight-ful soul who combines savvy business skills with a cheerfuldemeanor. Christopher Bedwell is our new second vice presi-dent; those of you who have attended an annual meetingwill know him from his handling of the auction and hisadministrative skills will be very useful over the coming year.John Hartvigsen is our new secretary and his infectious ener-gy, vision, and enthusiasm for vexillology will be of great usein this key role that includes chairing the membership com-mittee.

Columbus was a bittersweet meeting as we met notingthe absence of our departed friend John Purcell in his homestate. NAVA 46 was a very good meeting, thanks to the tire-less work of David Breitenbach, Peter Kinderman, BillBelanich and many, many others, including First VicePresident Gustavo Tracchia who ably coordinated andchaired the program. NAVA 47 in Salt Lake City next yearpromises to be an excellent meeting as well based on thesneak preview in Columbus from John Hartvigsen, who isleading the organizing there.

Our completely overhauled website has now gone live,and those of you who have visited it agree that it is a thingof beauty. Shane Sievers, our information technology officer,did a great job coordinating the relaunch of NAVA.org andwe are very fortunate to have him working for us. Now thatthe “front-end” is up and running, Shane is turning hisattention to the “back office” part of the website to beef upthe members area and provide us with additional technologyto make your administrative contacts with the Association

NAVA News 216, (ISSN 1053-3338), Oct.–Dec. 2012, Vol. 45, No. 4Published quarterly by North American Vexillological Association.A benefit of NAVA membership. Articles, letters to the editor, and inquiriesabout rates and permissions may be sent to the editorial office.Editorial Office: NAVA News Editor, 1977 N. Olden Ave. Ext. PMB 225,Trenton, NJ 08618-2193. [email protected]: Send address changes to NAVA News, 1977 N. Olden Ave.Ext. PMB 225, Trenton, NJ 08618-2193.© 2012 North American Vexillological Association. All rights reserved.

Views expressed are those of individual authors and may not representthe views of NAVA, its officers, or the editor.

Contact Hugh Brady: [email protected]

FROM THE PRESIDENT

ABusyYearAwaits

NAVA NewsPETER A. ANSOFF, EDITOREDWARD B. KAYE, LAYOUT

STEVEN A. KNOWLTON, JOHN A. LOWE, DAVID B. MARTUCCI,HUGH L. BRADY, EX OFFICIO

EDITORIAL BOARD

North American Vexillological AssociationFOUNDED 1967

HUGH L. BRADY, PRESIDENTGUSTAVO TRACCHIA, FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

CHRISTOPHER BEDWELL, SECOND VICE PRESIDENT

JOHN M. HARTVIGSEN, SECRETARYMARY ANN DOCKTOR-SMITH, TREASURER

WHITNEY SMITH, PRESIDENT EMERITUS

HUGHBRADY

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NAVA News · No. 216 · October–December 2012 · 1

EDITOR’S NOTE

EditorialMusings

Dear NN Readers,

It was great to see so many old friends in Columbus at NAVA46, and also to make some new ones. I hope you enjoy theextensive coverage of the event in this issue. We alsofeature an article by longtime NAVA member Earl Williamsthat presents some new thoughts on the genesis of theAmerican flag. I suspect that the latter will generate somecontroversy, which of course is welcome. Disagreement anddiscussion are the meat-and-potatoes of scholarship.

At the last NAVA board meeting (which I attended in mypast president hat), President Brady floated the idea ofchanging the name of NAVA News. As I commented at themeeting, I’m sort of 50-50 about this. On one hand, it’s cer-tainly true that NN is more than just a newsletter—we’republishing a significant amount of original scholarship aswell as the traditional features and organizational news.Also, the current name is somewhat prosaic and doesn’t con-tain any references to its own subject matter (flags and sym-bols). On the other hand, NN has been in publication fornearly a half-century under its current name and has strongrecognition in the vexi-community.

It seems to me that the name discussion ought to be apart of the bigger conversation about NAVA publicationsthat I outlined in my previous column. What exactly is NN,and what we want it to be? What is the right mix of contentfor NN, vis-a-vis NAVA’s other publications (Raven and thewebsite)? For example, would it make sense to expandRaven to include shorter research articles, and possiblyincrease its frequency, rather than including such material inNN? How is all this affected by the demise of the othermajor North-American-based vexillological publication, TheFlag Bulletin, and the reduced publication schedule of theCanadian Flag Association?

I agree with President Brady that this particular topicneeds to be thoroughly discussed among the membership.Let’s hear your comments! If appropriate, we’ll devote somespace in future issues to the ongoing conversation.

PETER ANSOFFEDITOR

Contact Peter Ansoff: [email protected]

Tyler Amick, Austin, MinnesotaKeith Bassolino, Annandale, VirginiaJess Bluck, Bloomfield, IndianaMaria Bluck, Bloomfield, IndianaDavid Boyce, Harrisville, UtahPaxton Butler, Kansas City, Missouri (US Flag Store)Declan Coles, Garden City, New YorkWilliam Gordon Couch, Baltimore, MarylandKen Dale, West Linn, OregonWilder Davies, Denver, ColoradoSteven Dieter, Ottawa, OntarioAbigail Driskill, San Antonio, TexasThomas Durbin, Mansfield, OhioChinwe Eburue, Lagos, NigeriaMichael Esposito, Mount Prospect, IllinoisXing Fei, Guangdong, ChinaBelinda Gagné, Dieppe, New Brunswick

(The Flag Shop—New Brunswick)Michael Gahan, Winthrop, MassachusettsTimothy Gallagher, Amherst, New HampshireDoug Hansen, Clovis, CaliforniaDale Hawkins, Tehachapi, CaliforniaDouglas Hedwig, Patterson, New YorkRyan James, Salt Lake City, UtahMichael Kerwin, Groton, MassachusettsSteven Knowlton, Memphis, TennesseeAmy J. Langston, Cary, North CarolinaRussell Martin, Hermitage, PennsylvaniaGregory Matson, Washington, D.C.John McCarter, Okatie, South CarolinaLiam McGinnis, Brooklyn, New YorkEthan McGinnis, Brooklyn, New YorkChris Mitchell, Atlanta, Georgia (Federal Flags, LLC)Nora Oppenheim, Washington, D.C.Josh Phillips, Christiansburg, VirginiaDavid Rehman, Alameda, CaliforniaKenya Richardson-El, Alexandria, VirginiaDarrell Rivers, Huntington Beach, CaliforniaMichael Rudolf, Tunkhannock, PennsylvaniaKarl Shehu, Waterbury, ConnecticutDeVaughn Simper, Taylorsville, UtahTom Stevenson, Saint Michaels, MarylandKelly Swyers, Mount Uniacke, Nova ScotiaJohn Thomas, Signal Hill, CaliforniaHenry P. Van de Putte, San Antonio, TexasRalph Visano, Buffalo, New YorkDavid G.Wagner, Washington, D.C.Jane Walker, Dubuque, Iowa (Made in USA Flags)Robert Williamson, Columbus, North CarolinaGary Wilson, Digby Neck, Nova ScotiaMike Young, Wimberley, Texas

(Eagle Mountain Flag & Flagpole Co.)

New Members for 2012The Executive Board thanks those who renewedtheir membership during the past year,and welcomes these new members for 2012:

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2 · October–December 2012 · No. 216 · NAVA News

Columbus Day weekend in Columbus,Ohio—a fitting time and place for NAVA’s46th annual meeting, coinciding with thebicentennial of the capital city’s founding in1812. Organized by GWAV, the GreatWaters Association of Vexillology, NAVA 46hosted over 50 flag enthusiasts and guests.David Breitenbach led the organizing com-mittee, assisted by Bill Belanich and PeterKinderman, succeeding even though nonelived locally.

TheRenaissanceColumbusHotel servedas the venue,providing acentral loca-tion for themeeting.Many atten-dees startedthe weekendby visiting thenearby Ohio

Statehouse, with its guided tours, extensivedisplays, and many historic flags. As if in

welcome, on the rear façade hung a hugeservice flag, with two stars, gold over blue.Inside, exhibits celebrated Ohio politicalhistory and the eight U.S. presidents fromthe state.

Before the meet-ing’s formal opening,NAVA’s presidentHugh Brady hosted amemorial event at thenearby Athletic Clubof Columbus for JohnPurcell, a co-founderof GWAV, a life-longOhioan, and a memberof the organizing com-mittee until hisdeath in June.Several NAVAmembers spokewith warm memo-ries of John, who generously left much ofhis flag collection to NAVA to be shared atthe meeting.

At the welcome reception at the hotel,attendees greeted old friends and wel-comed new ones, including Xing Fei, a pro-fessor at Guangdong University in China,and his sister, Su Wang. Flags of all pastNAVA meetings festooned the meetingroom and lobby, carefully hung in chrono-

NAVA 46 Columbus, Ohio 2012

The rear facade of the Ohio Senate Building.

A flag from the 1868 U.S. presidential campaign.

CFA presidentKevin Harrington

remembers John Purcell.

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logical order by David Breitenbach and hisvolunteers. The FIAV, NAVA, and GWAVflags at the front of the room bore a blackcrepe header in memory of John Purcelland his role in those organizations.

Jack Lowe led a large group of hungryparticipants to dinner at a nearby Italianrestaurant, extending the camaraderie into

Hanging past NAVA meeting flags.

Enjoying the welcome reception.

the evening.Starting on

Saturday morning,first vice-presidentand program chairGus Tracchia mod-erated the presenta-tions for the nexttwo days, includinga panel discussionabout the future ofNAVA, whichengaged all attendeesin the conversation.

On display tables flanking the meetingroom, flags and books for sale drew eagerbuyers. From new flags to old, to new andclassic flag books, no one left disappointed.It seems one cannot leave a NAVA meetingwith a lighter suitcase!

Chris Bedwell auctions flags (Magallanes, Chile shown).

Dave Martucci offering flag items for sale.

Gus Tracchia.

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After a delicious group lunch, all board-ed a bus for the Ohio Historical Society fora welcome and tour by Cliff Eckle, a long-time curator who showed the display of tenconserved Ohio regimental flags from theCivil War. He then opened a storage cabi-net with even more treasures, not yet con-served, and answered questions. Visitorsthen spent quality time exploring the restof the museum and its interesting exhibits.

Saturday evening, after posing for thegroup photograph while sporting a broadassortment of flag ties, attendees enjoyed asumptuous banquet, beginning with toaststo the queen of Canada and the presidentof the United States.

David Breitenbach shared an entertain-ing slide show which he billed as JohnPurcell’s humble response to all the acco-lades—images from over 40 years of NAVAmeetings culled from John’s files. The for-mer Vexillonnaire Award, now named forJohn, was presented to him posthumously

and accepted by his sister and brother-in-law. A full-sized NAVA 46 flag went to itsdesigner, Bill Belanich.

At Sunday morning’s business meeting,NAVA members heard reports from officersand committees and elected a NominatingCommittee and officers for 2012-13: HughBrady, president; Gus Tracchia, first vice-president; Chris Bedwell, second vice-pres-ident; John Hartvigsen, secretary; and MaryAnn Docktor-Smith, treasurer. Spurred bythe panel discussion, Jack Lowe proposed ascholarship fund to help young vexillolo-gists attend NAVA meetings, with pledgesin hand of $5,000. Younger members atNAVA 46 included Collin Simpson, AmyLangston, and Adrian Wagner.

After more engaging presentations, thegroup adjourned and the NAVA board andpast presidents hosted new NAVA mem-bers at a welcome lunch, then returned forthe final presentations. Several attendeespresented “vexi-bits”. The NAVA boardannounced the winner of the Captain

Seeing Civil War flags at the Ohio Historical Society.

Enjoying the Saturday evening banquet.

The 2011-12 NAVA Board: Ted Kaye, Annie Platoff,Hugh Brady, Gus Tracchia, & Mary Ann Docktor-Smith.

Steve Knowlton receives the Driver Award.

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A Mole Hill of Summary:Evaluating GraphicRepresentations ofRevolutionary War-EraAmerican FlagsPeter Ansoff

Vexillology on the WorldStageDavid Breitenbach

A Look at Traditional ChineseFlags across 18 CenturiesXing Fei

Reciting the Pledge for theFirst Time in UtahJohn M. Hartvigsen

Pragmatic Unity and VisualSynecdoche in Tennessee FlagCulture (Driver Award)Steven A. Knowlton

The Truth in our Stars:The Symbolism behind theirUse in FlagsAmy J. Langston

Tapestries of Colored LightsTerri Malgieri(presented by Mary Ann Docktor-Smith)

Wayne’s World (of Flags)David B. Martucci

Of Tablecloths & SovietRelics: A Study of the Bannerof Victory (Znamia Pobedy)Anne M. Platoff

“A Symbol of our Place in theWorld”: The Raising of theNational Flag on CanadianWarships, 15 February 1965Kenneth W. Reynolds

Colors of the Confederacy:Consecration & ControversyCatherine Wright

NAVA 46 especially thanks:Advertising Flag Company for supplying the largemeeting flags and Annin & Company for producingthe table flags, and Peter Ansoff for providing AVequipment and support;

Commercial Members of NAVA for underwritingthe Driver Award: Ace Banner & Flag, AdvertisingFlag, The Bear Flag Museum, CRW Flags, DixieFlags, The Flag Guys, The Flag Shop, Flags Bay,Herold Flags, Jeff R. Bridgman AmericanAntiques, Preservation Designs, Six-SidedSimulations, & TME Co.;

Cliff Eckle and The Ohio Historical Society,GWAV, Peter Kinderman and Flaggs USA, BillBelanich, Peter Ansoff, VAST, & the staff of theRenaissance Columbus Hotel;

Peter Orenski, Ron Strachan, Peter Ansoff,Carita Culmer, & Chris Bedwell for their contribu-tions of items for the auction;

The membership of NAVA and its board &volunteers;

and most of all, the Organizing Committee Chair:David Breitenbach.

Terri Malgieri wasunable to attend.

NAVA 46 PRESENTATIONSWilliam Driver Award: Steven A. Knowltonfor his “Pragmatic Unity and VisualSynecdoche in Tennessee Flag Culture”.

In what has become a highly-anticipatedtradition, NAVA members bid on flags in anauction led by incoming second vice-presi-dent Chris Bedwell. Donated by severalgenerous NAVA members, their sales bene-fited NAVA. About 30 flags sold—some forhigh prices (great for NAVA) and some fora steal (great for attendees).

John Hartvigsen concluded the presen-tations with an invitation to NAVA 47 inSalt Lake City next year. He leads theorganizing committee for what promises tobe a rewarding and fun event, matching thegreat job by the GWAV organizers of NAVA46 in Columbus.

Photos: Ted Kaye

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NNAAVVAA 4466 AAtttteennddeeeess

1 Peter Ansoff2 Adrian Wagner3 Jack Lowe4 Pat Pyles5 Su Wang6 William Belanich, Jr.7 Lowell Pyles8 Gary Randall9 Henry Moeller10 Mark Ritzenhein11 Xing Fei12 Clyde Simpson13 Cathy Wright14 Barbara Moeller15 Hugh Brady16 David Breitenbach17 Collin Simpson18 Peter Kinderman19 Annie Platoff20 Michael Platoff21 Al Cavalari22 Rich Monahan23 James Ritchie24 Sharon Ritchie25 Ken Reynolds26 Gus Tracchia27 Ted Kaye28 Stan Mottaz29 Steve Knowlton30 Christopher Bedwell31 David Ott

32 Kevin Murray33 John Hartvigsen34 Christopher Maddish35 David Wagner36 Gwen Spicer37 Kin Spain38 Randy Smith39 David Martucci40 Janet Martucci41 Mary Ann Docktor-Smith42 Scot Guenter43 Kevin Harrington44 Gil Vegas45 Amy Langston

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Did Francis Hopkinson DesignTwo Flags?

By EARL P. WILLIAMS, JR.

On 14 June 1777, the Continental Congressadopted a national flag for the UnitedStates. Although no committee of Congresswas specifically created to design the flag,it had its origin in the Marine Committee ofthe Congress.

One might ask why a national flagwould have its roots in the MarineCommittee. One might expect the MarineCommittee to create a naval flag—not anational flag. Would the national flag serveas both? The only man to claim that hedesigned the U.S. Flag—ContinentalCongressman Francis Hopkinson (1737-1791) of New Jersey—was also the onlyperson to claim that he also designed thenaval flag of the United States. When theresolution establishing the U.S. Flag wasadopted, Hopkinson was serving as chair-man of the committee’s Navy Board atPhiladelphia. The resolution reads:

Resolved That the Flag of the unitedstates consist of be distinguished by13 stripes alternate red and white, thatthe union be 13 stars white in a bluefield representing a new constellation.1

(The words “consist of” and “distinguishedby” were edited out.)

After the Continental Admiralty Boardmembers adopted a seal designed for themby Hopkinson in the spring of 1780, hewrote them a curious letter on May 25 ask-ing for “payment” in the form of a quartercask of the “public wine” for designing theflag of the United States, continental cur-rency, other seals, and the Great Seal of theUnited States, among other items. In sub-sequent bills to Congress for payment incash, Hopkinson referred to designing “thegreat Naval Flag of the United States”, “theNaval Flag of the United States”, and “theNaval Flag of the States”. Although his flag

drawings have not been found, I believethat Hopkinson’s U.S. Flag and U.S. NavalFlag were slightly different and that thedifference lay in the pattern of the stripes.

In the spring of 1780, while Hopkinsonwas the Continental Treasurer of Loans,Congress tapped him as a consultant to thesecond Committee on the Great Seal of theUnited States because of his heraldicexpertise. He prepared an obverse andreverse and then submitted a revisedversion of each. His second obverse for the

Figure 1. Conjectural drawing of Francis Hopkinson’s proposedFlag of the United States of America.(Earl P. Williams, Jr. /The Flag Guys)

Figure 2. Conjectural drawing of Francis Hopkinson’s proposedNaval Flag of the United States.

(Earl P. Williams, Jr. /The Flag Guys®)

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Great Seal and the seal that he designedfor the Continental Admiralty Board offerclues to how his U.S. and Navy flags mighthave looked. For example, the outer verti-cal stripes (pales) of the Board of AdmiraltySeal are red, which would be more appro-priate for a naval flag.2 On the other hand,the outer thin, diagonal stripes (bendlets)

of Hopkinson’s second obverse for theGreat Seal are white (argent), in keepingwith having red (gules) stripes charged ona white background—a heraldic practice, aswith George Washington’s coat of arms.

This outer-white-stripe configurationwas, in my opinion, intended for the flag ofthe government, i.e., Hopkinson’s Flag ofthe United States, while the flag with topand bottom stripes of red was for the Navy.My conclusion is that Hopkinson providedthe Marine Committee with both designsand that we as a nation (including the gov-ernment), have preferred his intendedNavy Flag. Furthermore, Hopkinson men-tioned designing the U.S. Flag only once—in his letter to the Admiralty Board—butmentioned designing the Navy Flag in eachof his three bills to Congress. Today, tracesof what I believe was his U.S. Flag arefound in the Great Seal (the U.S. Coat ofArms), other similar seals, and on the backof the current one-dollar bill.3

Hopkinson added motifs from the U.S.Flag to three of the many seals that hedesigned: the Seal for the Admiralty Board,his two obverses for the U.S. Great Seal,4and his temporary seal for the Board ofWar and Ordnance.5 He was the first of themany Great Seal designers to add motifsfrom the Stars and Stripes to the seal.

William Barton served on the final GreatSeal Committee. He also prepared twodesigns. His first design is missing, but arealization of it appears in Patterson. Ingeneral, it shows red stripes charged on awhite field. For example, on the dexter sideof his shield, only the top stripe is red.Charles Thomson, the secretary of theContinental Congress, also served on thiscommittee. His first proposal also ran intosimilar problems. In general, the pieces onthe chevrons that he used show a whitefield, but since the number 13 (for thenumber of states) is not divisible by two,the dexter side of his chevron shows a topred stripe.6 Congress adopted the finalproposal on 20 June 1782. It incorporatedHopkinson’s red, white, and blue shield

Figure 3. Great Seal of the United States from the die cut in 1782.Note outer white stripes.

(The Great Seal of the United States)

Figure 4. Great Seal of the United States from 1909 print.Note outer white stripes.

(Patterson & Dougall)

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with outer white stripes; his crest of 13stars in a cloud; his arrows for war; and hisolive branch for peace.

1 Williams, p. 44.

2 Placing the red stripes on the upper and loweredges would make the flag more visible from a dis-tance against a sky background. Special thanks toHarold B. Langley, former Curator of Naval History,Smithsonian Institution, for this insight.Hopkinson’s actual design for the Seal of theAdmiralty is known only through a few very poorimpressions. The illustration published in NN 171was a 20th-century realization.

3 For an inventory of Hopkinson’s designs, seeMartucci, pp. 8 and 9.

4 When viewing the obverses of Hopkinson’s GreatSeal designs, if one were to turn the drawings side-ways, the constellation of 13 stars (asterisks), whichwere drawn freehand, would appear in a loose lin-ear pattern similar to the pattern in Hopkinson’sBoard of War and Ordnance Seal. The closest sym-metrical arrangement for this linear pattern is rowsof stars in a 3-2-3-2-3 arrangement.

5 Knill, p. 27, states that the War Office was using atemporary seal before usage of the new (currentArmy) seal commenced on 8 March 1779. Thistemporary seal was possibly Hopkinson’s Board ofWar and Ordnance Seal, which was dated 1778. Thetemporary seal features a blue flag with 13 six-pointed stars. Donald W. Holst, retired Curator ofArmed Forces History, Smithsonian Institution,believes that this flag was an ordnance artillery flag.He further asserts that similar flags depicted inpaintings by Charles Willson Peale and his brotherJames have been misidentified as GeneralWashington’s Commander-in-Chief flag (see Holst,Part I, pp. 123–125) and that the flag known as“Washington’s Headquarters Flag” in the collectionof the Valley Forge Historical Society is also anartillery flag (See Holst, Part II, pp. 171–172).Hopkinson did not list his Board of War andOrdnance Seal design in his bills to Congress.However, this design, when considered with whatI believe were Hopkinson’s two Stars and StripesFlags, seems to indicate that he designed three flagsfor the government: a national flag, a naval ensign,and an army artillery flag. (Whether he specificallydesigned this flag as an artillery flag is not clear. Itcould be that the Board of War and Ordnance usedthe Stars and Stripes as the inspiration for this flagby just using the union of 13 stars on a blue field asa battle flag.)

6 See Patterson, chapters IV–V.

BBIIBBLLIIOOGGRRAAPPHHYY

Holst, Donald W, “Notes on Continental Artillery Flagsand Flag Guns, Part I”, Military Collector & Historian,Vol. XLVI, No. 3 (Fall 1994), pp. 122–27.

—. ‘‘Notes on Continental Artillery Flags and Flag Guns,Part II”, Military Collector & Historian, Vol. XLVI, No. 4(Winter 1994), pp. 171–74.

Knill, Harry, The Story of Our Flag, Santa Barbara,California: Bellerophon Books, 1990.

Martucci, David B. “Sundry Devices, Drawings, Mottos &csfor the Public Use: The Fancy-work of F. Hopkinson”,NAVA News, Vol. 34, No. 3 (#171 July–Sept. 2001), pp. 4-11.

Patterson, Richard S. and Richardson Dougall, The Eagleand the Shield: A History of the Great Seal of the UnitedStates, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1976(released 1978).

United States Department of State, The Great Seal of theUnited States, Washington: U.S. Government PrintingOffice, February 1986.

Williams, Jr., Earl P., “The ‘Fancy Work’ of FrancisHopkinson: Did He Design the Stars and Stripes?”,Prologue (quarterly of the National Archives), Vol. 20,No. 1 (Spring 1988), pp. 42–52.

Figure 5. Flag traditionally known as Washington’s HeadquartersFlag, but believed by Donald Holst to be an artillery “gun flag”.

Possibly designed by Hopkinson.

(Earl P. Williams, Jr. / The Flag Guys®)

Figure 6. Francis Hopkinson(1737–91): self-portrait.

(Maryland Historical SocietyMuseum and Library)

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CONTEST CORNER

Tough Trivia TenBy GREG NEDVEDAnswers to Last Issue’s Questions:

1. Which nation’s flag was used for target practice in June 2012 war games?North Korea (U.S. and South Korea fired at it but never hit it).

2. What two Latin American nations feature the “Sun of May” on their flag? Argentina and Uruguay.3. Who created the 1818 Grand Star Flag that was never adopted by the United States? Samuel Chester Reid.4. What ideology did the flag at the lower right represent? Belgian fascism (the Rexist Party Flag).5. What is the only U.S. state flag with a swallowtail? Ohio.6. What is Robert Barrett’s contribution to flag lore? He reported seeing the Star-Spangled Banner flying over

Fort McHenry as the British were sailing away (he was a British sailor).7. What does the “49” on the Absaroka flag represent? Absaroka (parts of Wyoming, North and South Dakota,

and Montana) would have been the 49th State to join the Union (see NAVA News #209). 8. Which Chicago Cub rescued an American flag from protestors? Rick Monday, on 25 April 1976 at Dodger

Stadium, snatched away the U.S. flag that two protestors intended to burn in the outfield.9. What is the largest flag ever flown (on a flag pole)? A Mexican national flag measuring 34.3 m x 60 m

(112 ft. 6 in. x 196 ft. 10 in.) flown by the city of Piedras Negras, Mexico, on 2 December 2011(according to the Guinness Book of World Records).

10. What is the proper way to dispose of the Canadian national flag? Bury it.

You can reach the Vexi-Quizmaster at [email protected]

To complicatematters, a photo ofMayor MichaelBloomberg giving histhird inauguraladdress on 1 January2010 shows a verydifferent flag, with nolower inscription.This flag very muchappears to be some-what “home-made”.

A New Flag for Manhattan?

By DAVID B. MARTUCCI

A series of recent photos, taken duringpress conferences in the New York CityCouncil Chambers, seem to show a newflag for the Borough of Manhattan, NewYork City.

Our previous information, corroboratedby earlier photos, was that the borough flagwas the same as the city flag but with theseal of the borough president in the center.The recent photos, however, show somemodifications to that design by changes inwording. The top inscription appears nowto be “Borough of Manhattan” and at thebottom, “November 1, 1683”, the date thecolony was first divided into counties.

It is not known if this is an officialdesign or not, but it does appear to be incurrent use.

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RRAAVVEENN 1199With its 2012 volume,NAVA’s scholarly journalresumes its standardformat: several excellentarticles on varied flagtopics. Three were pre-sented first as papers atNAVA’s annual meeting2010 in Los Angeles,California; they representthe pinnacle of vexillolog-ical scholarship in NorthAmerica and include the winner of the Captain WilliamDriver Award. Unusually, three of the members of theEditorial Board of Raven contributed articles—demon-strating the deep commitment its members have tovexillology and furthering their personal research in thefield. Volume 19, edited by Edward B. Kaye, comprises:

Emotion and Flags:A Personal Perspective John M. Purcell, founding member of the Raven editori-al board and professor emeritus of Spanish LanguageEducation at Cleveland State Univ.—Cleveland, OhioThis compelling essay describes the author’s own rela-tionship with flags over a lifetime of engagement andstudy—this volume is dedicated to his memory.

The Cinco de Mayo Flag Flap:Rights, Power, and Identity Scot M. Guenter, founding editor of Raven andcoordinator of the American Studies Program at SanJosé State University—San José, CaliforniaWhen five white high school students in Morgan Hill,California, flouted a school policy against wearing flag-themed clothing, which had been aimed at reducingtensions on the day celebrating Mexican pride, themedia firestorm decrying their treatment roiled thepolitical airwaves.

Utah’s Mammoth Statehood Flag John M. Hartvigsen—leader of the effort to correctUtah’s state flag specifications and active participant inthe Healing Fields flag displays—Salt Lake City, UtahAs Utah prepared to celebrate its long-awaited entry

into the Union in 1896, locals sewed and displayedfrom the ceiling of the Mormon Tabernacle the largestflag ever made, a record which stood for 27 years andcontinued a tradition of large flags in Utah.

The “Forward Russia” Flag:Examining the Changing Use of the Bearas a Symbol of RussiaAnne M. Platoff, Slavic Studies librarian at theUniversity of California, Santa Cruz—Goleta, CaliforniaA newly-developed flag displayed by avid Russiansports fans in support of their national teams marks achange in the use of the bear symbol—first only usedby outsiders to represent Russia but now claimed byRussians as their own.

Applying Sebeok’s Typology of Signs tothe Study of Flags Steven A. Knowlton, collection development librarianand assistant professor at the University of Memphis—Memphis, TennesseeA leading semiotician, Thomas A. Sebeok (1920–2001),developed a useful typology which the author uses toanalyze national and subnational flags, exploring themas signals, icons, indexes, and symbols and using exten-sive illustrations.

Also in the past year:Volume 18 (2011) appeared asCanadian City Flags. This special full-color issue, a counterpart to theVexillon-winning American City Flags(2002–03), covers the flags of 100municipalities in Canada, including the67 largest cities in the country and atleast five in each province and territory.

The 2011-12 Raven Editorial Board: Perry Dane, J.D., Rutgers School of Law; Scot M.Guenter, Ph.D., San Jose State University; Anne M.Platoff, M.S., M.A., University of California, SantaBarbara; John M. Purcell, Ph.D., Cleveland StateUniversity, emeritus; Kenneth W. Reynolds, Ph.D.,Department of National Defence (Canada), and Hugh L.Brady, J.D. (ex officio), University of Texas at Austin.

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NNAAVVAA NNeewwss wwaannttss yyoouurr aarrttiicclleessaanndd ootthheerr vveexxii--nneewwss ffrroomm aarroouunnddNNoorrtthh AAmmeerriiccaa

Nearly all of the content of NAVA News comprises contributionsfrom NAVA members and others in the vexi-community. We’re always looking for short articles, news about members’vexillological activities, photos, pictures, and descriptions of newand interesting flags, etc. To submit an item for publication,please contact the editor, Peter Ansoff, at [email protected] publication schedule is:

Deadline for ApproximateIssue No. Submissions “In the Mail” Date217 31 January 20 March 2013218 30 April 20 June 2013219 31 July 20 September 2013220 31 October 20 December 2013

Don't wait—get started now on that article you’vebeen meaning to write!

DDuueess RReemmiinnddeerr!!NAVA memberships run on a calendar basis, no matterwhen in a year a member joined. All dues are payable1 January for the full year; memberships lapse on 31March if dues are not paid. Please check your mailinglabel—it shows the year through which your dues arepaid. You can pay your NAVA membership dues viawww.PayPal.com to [email protected], or by check to theNAVA P.O. Box, or go to www. nava.org. & click the"Renew" link in the upper right of the home page.

HHoonnoorr RRoollll ooff NNAAVVAA CCoonnttrriibbuuttoorrssDecember 2011—November 2012NAVA gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions of its members and friends.Their support makes NAVA programs and publications possible.

Contributors to theNAVA Annual FundPhil AllenPeter AnsoffBevinn ByrneSecundino FernandezLarry "MOAT" FriendDonald HollandTed KayeRichard F. KehrbergMichael KerwinRev. Richardson A. LibbyScott MainwaringGerald McCavera

Henry W. MoellerClyde SimpsonGil VegasSteven C. Wheatley

Contributor to theDevereaux CannonReseach FundCRW Flags, Inc.

Contributors to theDriver Award / NAVA 46[See NAVA 46 story]

Contributors to theFlag Conservation FundPhil AllenHugh Brady*Richard T. ClarkScot Guenter*Rev. Richardson A. LibbyByron C. LoneyEurydice Petrow*Clyde SimpsonCharles A. Spain &John S. Adcock*

Steven C. Wheatley

*In memory of John Purcell

Contributors toCanadian City FlagsChris BedwellThe Burke FamilyBraverman Holdings Ltd.Brian EricksonBear Community Management & Consulting

Flags Unlimited CorporationThe Flag ShopFlying Colours InternationalTed KayeScott D. MainwaringAlison Wilkes

Call for Articles for Raven 20Raven seeks material for its 2013 volume and beyond. Proposedarticles should be from 300 to 5,000 words and present newscholarly findings relating to flags. Send the text and images oncomputer disk in Word or Word Perfect (no Mac) with images asseparate jpeg files, along with a paper copy and any associatedphotographs or figures, to: Ken Reynolds, Raven editor, 4653Ogilvie Walk Crescent, Ottawa,ON K1J 1G8 CANADA.

Use a minimum of formatting and do not embed graphics orfootnotes. All articles will be reviewed for acceptance by theRaven Editorial Board and may be edited for length, style, consis-tency, and clarity. Authors will sign a publication agreement andcopyright will vest in NAVA. The deadline for submission for con-sideration in the 2013 review cycle is 15 February 2013.Contact [email protected] with questions.

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representative of those cultures fromwhich my ancestors originated, but alsobe in touch with my Canadian identity.

“The colours used on my personalflag are red and white. The reasonbehind this is twofold. First, they repre-sent the country of my birth, Canada,whose official colours are the same.Second, they are a tribute to my Frenchheritage. In 1534, Jacques Cartier flewthe then-red-and-white-cross flag ofFrance aboard his ship when he sailedinto Québec, my home province.

“Having identical proportions as Canada's flag(1:2), my flag consists of a white lozenge on a redbackground. The lozenge in heraldry typically standsfor honesty and constancy. Both are fundamental prin-ciples I strive to live by. The lozenge itself is chargedwith a red cross partly of my own invention, inspired byGermanic and Celtic cross design. The cross symbolizesmy Dutch, German, and Irish roots.”


FLAG HUMOR

Santa’s sleigh with Saami flags

Artist: Gordon GurvanUsed by license from

www.Cartoonstock.com.

MEMBER FLAG

Members are encouraged to send in their personal flag designs for inclusion in the NAVA Member Flag Registry. Send your photos, drawings, and descriptionsto [email protected], or mail to: Member Flag Registry, 1977 N Olden Ave Ext PMB 225, Trenton NJ 08618-2193 USA, or post them directly to the MemberDatabase.

Ben Koorengevel—Kirkland, Québec

Flag Blazon: Gules, on a Lozenge Argent, a SlantingCross Patée Gules.

Ben Koorengevel describes his flag: “As is the casewith many North Americans, I come from a multi-ethnicbackground (Dutch, German, Irish, and French).

“I therefore felt it necessary that my flag should be

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SIGN UP NOW FOR THE25TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF VEXILLOLOGYROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS5–9 AUGUST 2013www.nfc2013.com


North AmericanVexillological Association

1977 N. Olden Ave. Ext. PMB 225Trenton NJ 08618-2193 USA

PLEASE CHECK YOUR LABEL!If the “Paid Through” date is 2012 orearlier, it’s time to renew for 2013.Pay your NAVA membership dues viawww.PayPal.com to [email protected] orby check to the NAVA P.O. Box.Thank you!

NAVA members will gather at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotelat Temple Square over Columbus Day Weekend in 2013to attend NAVA’s 47th Annual Meeting, the first held inUtah’s capital city. Located in the heart of the city, thePlaza Hotel is across from historic Temple Square wherethe Mammoth Utah Statehood Flag was displayedbeginning in 1896 (as described in the current Raven).

The host hotel features comforts and amenities toprovide everything NAVA members require and expectfor a memorable stay. Yet the hotel is affordable withroom rates of $99 for singles/doubles and $109 fortriples/quadruples. The pricing includes breakfast andfree airport shuttle; covered parking is only $5 per day.

The meeting venue is adjacent to the world-renowned genealogical resource, the Family History

NAVA 47 Salt Lake City, Utah 11–13 Oct.2013Library, and is near world-class shopping at the newlyopened City Creek Center which encompasses morethan 20 acres of retail space amid foliage-linedwalkways, streams, and a retractable roof that can beclosed in stormy weather. Museums and historic sites,without entrance fees, can be found within easy walk-ing distance of the hotel to keep companions andguests busy and happy while members talk flags.

Watch for the NAVA 47 webpage at nava.org andmake your plans to attend. Salt Lake City and Utahhave great traditions for flags; don’t miss out whenNAVA adds to the tradition! Salt Lake City is eager towelcome all to NAVA 47.

The NAVA 47 Organizing CommitteeJohn Hartvigsen, chair

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