Ever since the Continental Congress adopted the stars and stripes design as the American flag, it has been used profusely for all kinds of purposes. Even before the exact design was codified, when liberties were taken, the color scheme became recognizable all over the world. The American flag was always popular, but only with the Civil War did flag mania begin. Kit Hinrichs has collected American flags and flag memorabilia since he was a child, inspired by a family heirloom. He tells us how the American flag became revered as an almost religious icon. That didn’t stop people from using it for their own ends.
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“Politicians and merchants, quick to capitalize on the cult of the flag, appropriated the popular icon for their own purposes,” Wertkin writes. “Politicians printed their campaign slogans and portraits on flag banners, and merchants unabashedly wrapped their wares in flag packaging and made the Stars and Stripes part of their trademark.
“By the late 1890s, the Stars and Stripes could be seen on everything from pincushions and pillowcases to clown costumes and pickled pork,” he continues. “In the absence of official flag guidelines, flag makers, commercial enterprises, and private citizens were free to follow their own fancy—and did.”
That reverence continues today, and so does the marketing, despite the enactment of the Flag Code. Read about the fervor for the American flag at Collectors Weekly.
Source: neatorama