Fate of the Rebel Flag. Painted by William Bauly, lithographed by Sarony, Major & Knapp. New York: William Schaus, 1861).
Due to the approaching 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, several examples from AAS’s holdings of war images and broadsides will appear in loan exhibitions and as reproductions in upcoming publications. This chromolithograph from a Connecticut estate was offered for sale to AAS. It is one of a pair of images that were issued in 1861 by William Schaus to take advantage of the patriotic fever that gripped the North after the attack on Fort Sumter. In this print the burning ship represents the Confederacy, which is sinking and being struck by lightning. The flames form the modified flag of the South with seven stars to represent the seceding states. AAS is still seeking the companion print, Our Heaven Born Banner, which shows the American flag as a sunset with a Union soldier standing at attention in the foreground. Purchased from John Perch. Print Acquisitions Fund.
