Hand-painted silk partial flag or banner. N.p., circa 1918. Approx. 20 3/4 x 15 1/4 in. 

An exquisitely painted patriotic flag or banner from World War I, almost certainly in celebration of the victory of the Allied Powers. 

A personaification of Columbia, wearing gossamer robes and a crown of golden laurels, is shown enrobed by the American flag. She trods upon the defeated and broken black German eagle. Within her arms, she holds the flags of the Allied Powers, including Belgium, Japan, Canada, France, and Italy. With the smoke of war to her back, she gazes confidently at the clear blue skies. The superlative vignette of victory is completed by a wreath of laurels delicately painted in shades of green. 

The symbol of the black eagle to represent Germany harkens back to the emblems and flags of the Kingdom of Prussia which featured the black "Prussian Eagle." The symbolism was particularly potent in France, who had fought the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian War just a few decades earlier. Several contemporary French posters feature the black eagle, for example, a poster titled "Pour le suprême effort" [For the Supreme Effort] where a French soldier throttles a massive black eagle (c.f. University of Illinois Archives, Collection 35/1/42, Folder 3). 

A beautiful textile ready to display.

Note: This lot cannot be packaged and shipped in-house. Successful bidders winning items marked as being packaged and shipped by a third-party service are responsible for paying the third party directly. We are happy to offer complimentary drop-off service to local third-party packing/shipping companies in Columbus, Ohio. 

[World War I, WWI, The Great War, First World War] [Flags, Patriotic Textiles]

Evidently excised from a larger textile and mounted or framed. Some staining, especially to edges. Painting remains beautifully preserved.