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1860, Lincoln-Hamlin and Bell-Everett Campaign Flags (U.S.)

image located by William Garrison, 5 April 2024

Lincoln-Hamlin Campaign Flags
Bell-Everett Campaign Flags
Great Star Michigan-Wigwam/Republican Convention

See also:

Description of the flag

Lincoln & Hamlin Campaign Flag. 13" x 8.25" glazed cotton flag with 31 stars in the canton, inscribed on the stripes: "For President, Abram Lincoln. For Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin"; c. 1860. [Photo credit: Heritage Auctions.]

Source: https://historical.ha.com/itm/political

William Garrison, 5 April 2024

image located by William Garrison, 19 October 2025

From https://historical.ha.com

"Lincoln & Hamlin" : 1860 Campaign Parade Flag with unusual 16-star-union configuration with only 7 stripes. 21" x 41" [sight] cotton parade flag, printed in bold red, white, and blue. The flag features 4 rows of stars, with twelve fully visible and four partials. The flag features 3-red and 4-white alternating stripes, with the two central white stripes boldly stenciled "LINCOLN. &. HAMLIN."

William Garrison, 19 October 2025

One has to be very careful with flags like this. I am not saying this is a forgery of any kind but finding or making an old flag and stenciling something Lincoln on it is one of the most common fakes out there. The listing says nothing about any appraisal or provenance report so Caveat Emptor!
Dave Martucci, 19 October 2025

image located by William Garrison, 20 February 2026

Source: https://historical.ha.com/itm/political/textile-display-pre-1896-/abraham-lincoln-1860-lincoln-and-hamlin-campaign-flag/a/6335-43038.s

Partial comment by the auction house: "Abraham Lincoln: 1860 Lincoln & Hamlin Campaign Flag. 17 1/4" 11 1/4" rare 1860 Lincoln & Hamlin campaign flag unlisted in Collins' "Thread of History". A 33-star printed cotton flag in red, white and blue, the example offered here is a particularly prized variety among collectors because of its unique spelling "Abram." .... Framed to an overall size of 20 -1/8" x 14-1/4". Produced in the immediate aftermath of the Republican National Convention in May 1860, this flag belongs to the earliest wave of campaign material that introduced Abraham Lincoln and his running mate, Hannibal Hamlin, to a national audience. In an era when candidates themselves were expected to remain publicly restrained, printed ephemera and textiles became the primary vehicles for shaping public recognition and political loyalty. Believed to have been manufactured by prominent Philadelphia flag maker H.C. Howard shortly after Lincoln's nomination, the use of a shortened form of Lincoln's name reflects period campaign conventions and the urgency with which such material was brought to market."
William Garrison, 20 February 2026

image located by William Garrison, 25 March 2026

Source: https://historical.ha.com

A U.S., 1860 presidential campaign, "Lincoln and Hamlin" wavey-names variation flag; attached to a hand-held flagstick. Features a five-pointed "Great Star" pattern with a total of 33 stars, graphically arranged. Size: 17" x 11" glazed cotton flag.
William Garrison, 25 March 2026

image located by William Garrison, 8 June 2026

Source: https://historical.ha.com/itm/political

Caption from ad: "Abraham Lincoln: Paper Portrait Campaign Flag. 6" x 8" paper flag with unusual, bold portrait of Lincoln, inscribed: "[For] President, [H]on. A. Lincoln." The canton has 31 stars. Issued in the Philadelphia area."

William Garrison, 8 June 2026

Bell-Everett Campaign Flags

image located by William Garrison, 28 January 2025

An 1860 U.S. presidential campaign flag, 11.75" x 8" glazed cotton flag; inscribed: "For President, John Bell. For Vice President, Edward Everett, The Union and the Constitution." They campaigned on the "Constitutional Union Party". but lost to Pres. Abraham Lincoln.
Source: https://historical.ha.com/itm/political

William Garrison, 28 January 2025

image located by William Garrison, 20 February 2026

Source: https://historical.ha.com/itm/political/textile-display-pre-1896-/bell-and-everett-campaign-parade-flag/a/6335-43048.s

Partial auction house comments: "Bell & Everett: Campaign Parade Flag. 11-1/2" x 17-1/4" glazed cotton flag in support of the 1860 Constitutional Union Party nominees." This same design was used for a similarly looking 1860 Lincoln-Hamlin presidential-campaign flag.

William Garrison, 20 February 2026

Great Star Michigan-Wigwam/Republican Convention

image located by William Garrison, 13 June 2026

Source: https://historical.ha.com/itm/political/textile-display-1896-present

Caption: from ad: " A 33-star American flag measuring approximately 11-1/8" x 17", printed on glazed cotton. The canton displays a ... "Great Star" (or star-of-stars) configuration,.... The striped field bears bold, hand-painted text in black reading "MICHIGAN,".... Flags of this distinctive type are associated with the 1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago-commonly referred to as the Wigwam Convention-where they were reportedly created for use by individual state and territorial delegations to designate seating within the hall. The convention, held in a purpose-built structure known as the Wigwam, marked a defining moment in American political history, as it was here that Abraham Lincoln secured the Republican nomination on the third ballot,.... Examples bearing the names of various states and territories are known, including California, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and others, all rendered in a consistent style with bold black lettering across the stripes. Surviving documentation and period accounts indicate that these flags originated as a group and later surfaced through a New York estate connected to families active in 19th-century politics. .... Additional examples have since been documented in both private and institutional collections, further supporting this history of use. ...." Despite the aforesaid provenance, there is the cautionary concern that this flag could have been obtained after 1860 and "Michigan" added at a later date - thereby making it a faux flag. Nonetheless, the "Great Star" design itself is different from similar ones of that era.

William Garrison, 13 June 2026

We also seem to know about:
Massachusetts: https://www.flickr.com/photos/artimovich/4602772214/in/photostream
Maryland: https://www.flickr.com/photos/artimovich/4602772090/in/photostream

I don't know if they shed light on the original or later additional debate, though.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 14 June 2026