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38 Star Flag - (1877-1890) (U.S.)

image by Clay Moss, 9 February 2007

Description of the flag
Jack
Variations in Proportions/Designs
Concentric Circles Design
Alternate Grid Designs
Full Canton Design
Hourglass Design

See also:

Description of the flag

In 1877, one star was added, representing Colorado, bringing the total number of stars to 38. There were thirteen stripes representing the thirteen original colonies.
Rick Wyatt, 5 April 1998

This flag flew from 4 July, 1877 to 3 July, 1890.
Clay Moss, 9 February 2007

The US Congress passed an enabling act in 1875, specifying the requirements for the the Territory of Colorado to become a state. On August 1st, 1876, President Grant signed a proclamation admitting Colorado to the Union as the 38th state. It became known as the Centennial State, as a result of becoming an official state 28 days after the Centennial of the US. Even though the official star count for US flags in 1876 was the 37, it was common for makers to produce flags in advance of their official dates. This was a result of customer demand and competition between the makers. For this reason, the 13 and 38 star flags were the most common flags flown during the many Centennial celebrations.
William Garrison, 1 April 2015

Jack

image by Clay Moss, 9 February 20

Variations in Proportions/Designs

I just ran across a 1986 reprint of a book issued by the U.S. Army Quartermaster General called Specifications for Clothing, Camp and Garrison Equipage, and Clothing and Equipage Materials (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Depot of the Quartermaster's Department, 1889). It includes a number of flag specifications issued between 1876 and 1889. Taken in combination with the contemporary U.S. Navy Tables of Equipment and Flags of Maritime Nations (1882), it is interesting to note the variation in official proportions and designs of the S&S at the time. Looking at the flags side by side also lets one see why President Taft felt the need to standardize the design by executive order in 1912.
Joe McMillan, 9 February 2001

The Army garrison flag was 20 x 36 feet, with the canton (union) extending 1/3 of the fly. The stars, measuring 10 inches across, are shown in five rows of 7-8-8-8-7, with the stars all lined up vertically (not staggered as in the modern flag), the extra stars in the rows of eight being in the hoist. (Specification dated May 31, 1876)

Army Garrison Flag
image by Joe McMillan,
9 February 2001

The Army post flag was 10x20 feet, also with the union extending 1/3 of the fly. The six-inch stars on this flag are shown as 8-7-8-7-8, lined up vertically, with the extra stars in the rows of eight in the fly. (Specification dated May 31, 1876)

Army Post Flag
image by Joe McMillan,
9 February 2001

There was also an Army storm flag, 4 feet 2 inches by 8 feet, with the union extending 1/3 of the fly, with the stars as in the post flag but the eighth star in the longer rows in the hoist. (Specification dated December 31, 1877)

Army Storm Flag
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg,
20 February 2012

The Navy version came in a variety of sizes depending on the size of the ship. All had a ratio of about 100:192 or 100:193. Typical was 13x25 feet. The union extended over 40% of the fly. The 1882 Flags of Maritime Nations shows the stars in staggered rows of 8-7-8-7-8, looking very much like the modern arrangement.

Navy Ensign
image by Joe McMillan,
9 February 2001

Concentric Circles Design

[38 star Concentric Circle Design of 1877]

image by Rick Wyatt, 16 July 2001
Oval As Depicted On Stamp

image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 30 July 2001
Perfect Circles

Concentric Circle Designs (1877) - As depicted in the postage stamp, 13 white/red stripes, blue canton with one larger white 5-pointed star in center, 13 white 5-pointed stars in oval around central star, 20 white 5-pointed stars in oval around that and one white 5-pointed star in each corner.
Dave Martucci, 17 October 1999

Alternate Grid Designs

image by Devereaux Cannon, 11 February 2001

This image is of an original 38 star flag, thought to be a merchant ensign dating from between 1877 and 1880, in my collection. It is similar to the 1882 navy ensign, but with a shorter length to width ratio, and the 7 stars on rows 2 and 4 are space so as to take up the same space as the 8 stars on rows 1, 3, and 5.
Devereaux Cannon, 11 February 2001

image by Clay Moss, 15 March 2007

The two 38 star flags are images drawn from pictures that were once featured on E-bay. I actually think that the first of these could be considered a frequent variant as I have seen quite a few of these designs with the canton reversed from the "chart" 38 star flag.
Clay Moss, 15 March 2007

image located by William Garrison, 6 June 2024

Seen at https://www.ebay.com/itm/315396095466, a U.S. 38-star flag (star layout: 7/7/7/7/7/3); 140" x 252", used between 1877-1890
William Garrison, 6 June 2024

This flag is 140×252 feet, which is 55×99 m. That’s pretty big. I was going to bet this is a modern reproduction, not an original item, due to its bright colors and scarce signs of wear (in marked contrast to other antiques of the same period sent by Bill), but some of the detail photos show clearly that this is no fake. Seems worth the asking price, if you have 2500 USD lying around.

Which makes the evidently unbalanced design of the canton even the more interesting: I can only speculate that this flag was created like this to give room for more starts to be added to the woefully incomplete bottom star row, allowing for up two more to be easily sticthed on.

I have been marvelling also at the variable orientation of individual stars, in this and in the other historic designs presented by Bill: Some pointing up at usual, others down, or fly-, or hoist-wards. It seems to effectively obfuscate the lack of symmetry (or at last lack of tile-like patterning) of some of these arrangements, yielding an overall pleasing effect, especially from actual flags hoisted and fluttering, not as flat orthoscopic diagrams. This is a lesson that modern flag designers should consider.

The geometry of each star, in this one more than in others, is also interesting, less dense (more “spiky”) than regular starry pentagons. That’s unexpected (although, in hindsight, not unheard-of), as there’s that seamstress’ trick for creating geometrically exact starry pentagons.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 7 June 2024

Full Canton Design

image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 13 August 2001

Another example of a tribute to our First Centennial shows an attempt to plan the size of the stars so that they fill as much of the blue canton as possible.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 13 August 2001

Hourglass Design

image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 13 August 2001

Here, the crossing diagonal lines of stars outline the cross of St. Andrew. But, if the flag is placed upright, it will be seen that the arrangement also depicts the shape of an hourglass with two stars representing two centuries, in the process of dropping to the bottom of the glass. We have here therefore possibly the most original conception celebrating the advent of the First Centennial.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 13 August 2001