Heritage Auctions 26 New Matches for Confederate shown plus North Carolina Volunteers Flag

 Confederate States: North Carolina Volunteers Flag with Fonda Thomsen Report.

47″ x 35″ yellow & blue wool bunting, composed of two blue panels and three yellow panels with flat-fell seams. Machine stitched. 1″ canvas “corded” hoist with rope insert. Left side inscribed “N C Vol” in black paint. Some mothing, rips, tears and areas of loss, as shown. Two reinforced or repair patches adjacent to hoist. Very good overall. Accompanied by a five-page Fonda Thomsen report dated August 30, 1999. Some observations: “The blue was founds to be a natural indigo and the yellow a natural yellow dye… The flag is intact as originally constructed except for the black pigment which appears to have been added later. The pigment on the upper reinforcement matches the pigment on the lettering… 

The flag was purchased from an elderly man from Boutte, LA who reported the flag had been passed down in the family from North Carolina relatives. After a thorough physical examination of the material and method of construction of this flag, and a comparison of these materials with previous examinations of documented period flags, it is my opinion, as a textile conservator, the materials used in the construction of this flag could be from the Civil War period with the following considerations. The wool buntings used in the construction appear to be a tighter weave than commonly found in Civil War flags, but we have found at least six flags in our database that have similar thread counts. It is interesting to note that they were all late war issues and one was a post war flag. The sewing thread used in construction throughout has been found in Civil War period flags, especially those machine stitched. 

The blue dye tested positive for indigo which was in common use during the war and the yellow was a natural dye which would also have been available.” It is also accompanied by an April 7, 2009 report by Jon Ingram of JK Cloth. He speculates that the flag may been originated as a naval signal flag, or been modeled after one. An attribution to Captain Guilford W. Cox’s Company of North Carolina Volunteers (organized May 19, 1863 at Goldsboro) is suggested.

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