[aromero]

I came across a piece of scrimshaw (decoration on a sperm whale tooth) dating back to the mid-nineteenth century, that has a representation of an American flag that has seven stars on the blue canton that consist of a larger star in the center and the other six forming a circle around it.

Can anybody explain what is the meaning of that configuration? I have not been able to find one like that in my Internet search.

Thanks,

Al Romero

[american_flag_uk]

if it wa quite small design maybe they didntt have room for 13 or more stars??? or perhpas it was a confederate flag which did start with 7 stars - and 3 stripes ?

[aromero]

Thanks for your reply. No, there was enough room for seven stars and the number of stripes was typical of the American flag. besides, this was done on board a Yankee whaler.

If you can give me your email address I can send you a pciture.

Thanks,

Al Romero

[Kris Deery]

Al.
The 7 star flags do exist, we have one. My husband and I collect antique flags. I'm not certain about the time frame but I believe they appeared in the mid 19th century. Can you send me a photo of the scrimshaw ? The piece you have is very collectable
deerykw@verizon.net

[american_flag_uk]

hey kris... wonder do u have any pics of your flag collection?? i collect flag s aswell but havent got many antique ones yet... oldest US flag i have has 45 stars and it was given to me... apparently it was handedto my friends father when he was visiting california.. teddy roosevelt was in town and ppl along the sides fothe steets were handed these flags...
i am VERY interested in collecting US flags new and old and like chattin to ptherppl that collect them

[Peter Ansoff]

The 7 star flags do exist, we have one . . . Can you send me a photo of the scrimshaw ? The piece you have is very collectable

There never was an official 7-star flag, of course, but many exist as folk art. The same is certainly true of the flag on the scrimshaw -- it's likely that the person who carved it was just "filling in the blanks" and wasn't too concerned about the number of stars.

It would be interesting to know if the scrimshaw piece is real. Because of modern laws against the sale of whalebone, there is a large industry built around synthetic scrimshaw made of various modern materials. Collectors call it "fakeshaw." Of course, some of fakeshaws are fine pieces of art in themselves.

There are some good resources in the web about scrimshaw and fakeshaw. Here is a good one on the web site of the New Bedford Whaling Museum:

Untitled Document

Peter Ansoff

[NAVA1974]

Three cheers for the Red, White, and Blue.

Now, you decide which flag I am referring to.

[Peter Ansoff]

Three cheers for the Red, White, and Blue.
Now, you decide which flag I am referring to.

Well, there is actually some fuzziness about this. The phrase "Three cheers for the Red, White, and Blue" occurs, of course, in the patriotic song "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean," which extolls the USA and its flag. However, there exists a British version of the same song, called "Britannia, Pride of the Ocean," which contains the same phrase. Both the US and UK flags are red, white and blue, so the phrase works in either case.

In his history of the American Flag, Admiral George Preble pointed out that "Gem (or Pride) of the Ocean" "seems more appropriate to designate an island power like Great Britain, than a continental power like the United States." However, the documentation that he provided in his book seemed to indicate that the American version of the song was the original, and that it was copied by the British.

I've seen some sources that try to tie the name "Columbia" to a specific ship. However "Columbia" was commonly used in the 19th century as a poetic reference to the USA. The name of our national capital, the "District of Columbia" is an obvious example.

Peter Ansoff