On June 14, 1777 the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act: “Resolved that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new Constellation.” The stars and stripes represented the original thirteen colonies. Congress did not stipulate any proportions for the parts of the flag nor the arrangement of the stars; the two most common arrangements of the stars showed them placed in a circle or in five horizontal rows.

After two additional states were admitted to the Union – Vermont in 1791 and Kentucky in 1792 – Congress passed the Flag Act of January 13, 1794 that authorized the addition of two additional stripes and stars. This is the flag that was immortalized by Francis Scott Key during the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British toward the end of the War of 1812. It is interesting to note that the stars were sewn on to the blue field ‘tilted’ to the left or right in alternate rows. This flag was the only one to have more than thirteen stripes.

The Flag Act of 1818 provided for the addition of five more stars to the flag. These five stars represented the latest States to be admitted to the Union: Tennessee in 1796, Ohio in 1803, Louisiana in 1812, Indiana in 1816, and Mississippi in 1817. Congress realized that the addition of a new stripe for each new State would be impractical and they stipulated that the number of stripes were to be limited to thirteen.

It was not until June 24, 1912, by Executive Order of President Taft, that proportions of the flag’s parts were established. It was also provided that the stars were to be arranged in seven rows of seven stars with a single point of each star to point upward. Since that time, the only change made to the flag has been the addition of more stars as more states were admitted into the Union.

The flag’s field and stripes are all individually cut. The stars, field, and stripes are painted with specially hand-mixed colors. The stars are applied to the field one at a time and then the field and stripes are assembled to form the finished flag. The flag is then matted and framed. The September 11, 2001 plaque is cast from the highest quality pewter. Because the paint colors are mixed by hand, there will be some slight variation from flag to flag. The flag is also available as a print.

Each flag is signed, dated, and numbered and has a copy of the above text affixed to the back of the frame. Flags are available as originals and prints in the larger size and as prints only in the smaller size. They can be framed with a variety of mat and frame combinations -see the other detail pages in this gallery for some examples. The selection of frame moldings is pictured below.

Frame Selection, left to right:

#3921 Tiger Maple - wood, #1871 Gold-leaf – wood

#85-301 Etched Gold – metal, #85-310 Dark Gold - metal, #85-303 Dark Blue – metal

#1461 Gold-leaf – wood, #1451 Gold-leaf – wood, #3351 Cherry –wood