First a rope, then not a rope, then tack marks, then rope now tack marks. Which is it? A close up picture Please.
Naval flag, infantry flag, a flag of a fort, 18th Virginia Heavy Artillery. Which is it?
You removed the netting and backed it with acid free muslin. Now you removed the netting, washed it in mild detergent three times and backed it with acid free muslin, and dyed muslin behind the canton. Dyed muslin acid free ? What about the evidence you washed away, trying to hide something? At this point a textile report could not reveal the origins of the flag.
There is no evidence that the grommets were added by the museum, or is there? If the museum did, why would they sew the ends of the canvas header as you stated they are.
Now we have a Georgia dealer, unnamed, who paid $9,000.00 for the flag dumping it off on you. Then you altered the header and sold it to LeoB. I’m waiting for the word picker to show up.
pre auction pictures from Agusta Auction Company of Vermont web site. Auction date March 2010
http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss108/bagend-Flags/02272copy.jpg
http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss108/bagend-Flags/0227copy.jpg
Ben’s picture of same flag, altered header.
http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss108/bagend-Flags/BenFord-Feb282007053.jpg
Salisbury Prison flag @ The NC Museum of History
http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss108/bagend-Flags/1962_75_1Acopy.jpg
In the upper right of the canton of Ben / LeoB’s flag, the crossed bar sits on the field of the flag. To me that indicates that the red field of the canton was sewn onto the white field and then the bars of the cross sewn on. On the Salisbury flag, the canton with the cross and stars already sewn together was added to the white field. That is the normal way it was done for the Richmond Depot.
Thread counts do not pin the date down of when the bunting was made, it can be as much as 50 years off. Ben / LeoB’s count is high compared to the known bunting count samples I have, it is close but high, indicating to me that the loom that knitted the bunting was from a later period, so the 1880 − 1890 guess I made earlier. That is the period that vet’s had copies made of their old flags for reunions, thus metal grommets.
Ben / LeoB / Phillip post some close up shots of the herder and canton. Without riddles say what you have on this flag. Other wise this is a post war flag altered for a profit as a CW period flag. Not a bad job, it could bring $9,000.00 - $15,000.00 to a unsuspecting buyer at auction or gun show. And yes you can read into this what you will.
Happy Trails!
Tom Martin