A Smithsonian magazine special report
See the Colorful Flags That the Patriots Unfurled as They Fought in the American Revolution
At the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, a new exhibition has gathered together 17 historic flags that served as symbols of liberty
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During the American Revolution—and before the United States standardized its familiar stars and stripes—the patriots carried hundreds of different flags. Decorated with classical figures, animals and slogans, only about 30 of these early American flags survive today.
Now, 17 of these flags are on display at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. “Banners of Liberty: An Exhibition of Original Revolutionary War Flags” opened on April 19—the 250th anniversary of the “shot heard ’round the world.”
Throughout the ensuing seven-year conflict, Americans created flags to “represent political ideals and a growing national identity, as well as to instill ‘esprit de corps’ within military units,” per a statement from the museum.
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“These flags were made for military units during the Revolution,” James Taub, an associate curator at the museum, tells WHYY’s Peter Crimmins. “In this age of horse and musket, marking where you are on the battlefield is a key part of fighting a battle—for a general to be able to know where his troops are and for the troops to be able to know where they’re supposed to be.”
However, the flags also served as symbols of liberty and unity against Britain. As Taub tells WHYY, “Flags in the late 18th century for military usage are tools as much as they are motivations.”
Six of the flags underwent conservation before the exhibition, including a pair of large banners made for the Second New Hampshire Regiment of the Continental Army. Sewn by Fanny Johonnot Williams and painted by Daniel Rea Jr., they were taken by the British in 1777. They eventually made their way to the New Hampshire Historical Society.
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“These flags are really incredible survivors because of the symbolism on both of them,” Matthew Skic, a senior curator at the museum, tells Antiques and the Arts Weekly’s Andrea Valluzzo. One flag is marked with a shield containing the regiment’s name beneath the phrase “the glory, not the prey.” The other is decorated with a yellow sun and the words “we are one,” surrounded by 13 interlocking gold rings labeled with the names of the first 13 states. “This was a device created by Benjamin Franklin and first appeared on currency for the United States and made its way onto this flag,” Skic adds.
One flag, flown by a militia unit in South Carolina, is decorated with a rattlesnake, which was a common American Revolutionary symbol, and a “Spartan dog.” Experts think the dog could be a reference to Shakespeare’s Othello, in which the character Iago is compared to a “Spartan dog” from ancient Greece, per Antiques and the Arts Weekly.
Another flag, belonging to the First Pennsylvania Battalion, is decorated with 13 arrows and the words “united we stand.”
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While 16 of the exhibition’s flags date to the Revolutionary War, one additional flag created after the conflict is also on view. Red and white stripes make up most of the flag, while 13 stars are arranged to form a “Great Star” pattern against a blue background in the corner.
The flags will remain on display through the summer. Per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Susan Snyder, museum president R. Scott Stephenson said at the exhibition’s opening ceremony that seeing the collection is a “once-in-a-many-lifetimes opportunity.”
“Banners of Liberty” will be on view at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia through August 10.
