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| The 50-star presidential flag |
President Eisenhower's tenure in the White House was unique in terms of presidential flags. While Eisenhower was in office, the flag grew from 48 stars (Arizona) to 49 and 50, representing Alaska and Hawaii, respectively.
Eisenhower is the only president to serve under three distinct presidential flags. This press release is about an exhibit at the Museum of Flags which will be displaying all three of the flags that the president used.
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Historic Flags of the Eisenhower Oval Office on Display
August 9, 2012
from the House of Flags Museum
Columbus, NC – For the first time in history all six original flags from the White House during President Eisenhower’s administration will be together in a single exhibit from October 10 to 13 in Columbus, North Carolina. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States (1953 to 1961), was the only President in our Nation’s history to serve under three different President’s flags. The exhibit includes 48-star, 49-star, and 50-star President’s flags and the corresponding U.S. colors. The 50-star U.S. flag on display is the actual flag unveiled in the White House Cabinet Room when Hawaii became our 50th state.
The flags are on loan from a private collection and from the Eisenhower Museum and Library in Abilene, Kansas. Historic 1940s and 1950s photographs of the hand embroidery flag making process from the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum at Fort Lee, Virginia will also be on display along with other press photos of Alaska and Hawaii statehood events.
One of a kind – The 49-star President’s Oval Office flag, hand made at the US Army Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot in 1958, will be on public display for the first time since leaving the White House in 1960. This priceless hand embroidered silk President’s flag featuring 49 stars may be the only one of its kind ever made. The 49-star flag was official for only one year – July 4th 1959 to July 4th 1960.
Rare two-sided needle-painting hand embroidery techniques are used to create these beautiful blue silk flags featuring a life-like eagle grasping olive branches and arrows with rays and clouds above; a red, white, and blue shield; plus a scrolled motto E Pluribus Unum surrounded by a circle of stars corresponding to the number of States. The perfectly mirrored designs are identical on both sides of the flag – the back side being seen only after the flag is complete. All three President’s flags are truly unique hand embroidered works of art with hand tied gold and silver precious metal fringe.
A limited engagement – This historic four-day exhibit is planned for October 10th through October 13th 2012 at the House of Flags Museum in Columbus, North Carolina. Admission is free and donations are always appreciated. The museum is fully handicap accessible.
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| Alaska's 49-star flag celebrated with AL governor, Bob Bartlet (center) and Pres. Eisenhower (back row, far right) |
Let it fly!
The President's flags are a fantastic part of history. Especially during the Eisenhower administration. While the first 48-star President's flag was designed and constructed during the Truman administration The Eisenhower flags are truly unique. These 48, 49, and 50 star President's flags in the exhibit all come from the Eisenhower Oval Office in the White House. The handmade embroidery is flawlessly detailed. The eagle, clouds, rays, and 13 star centerpiece are surrounded by a circle of embroidered stars: 48, 49, and 50 stars to be precise. These are must see artifacts from the 1950s.
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