Object Record

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Object Name Flag
Catalog Number UNNUMBERED-2741a
Maker Hugh Wilkins
Date ca. 1861
Material(s) Silk
Dimensions H-71.5 W-52 inches
Description This is the National Color for the 13th Kentucky Infantry, US. The flag is extremely fragmented. Most of the canton still exists. It is now green (faded from blue) and has several gold stars still exist. There are two red stripes and three white stripes still exisiting.
Notes Tentative ID as manufactured by "Wilkins" Louisville, Ky. by museum staff.

Some of our Civil War era flags are in terrible shape. A big reason for this is how they were originally made. Harsh dyes used to color fabrics (especially silk) resulted in the material breaking apart and shattering. Painted areas typically remain more intact but paint does not allow free movement of the fabric and thus contributes to the fracturing of adjacent areas.

Ironically wool and cotton flags, which were less expensive to produce, are far more stable than silk flags. These flags in our collection remain largely intact and in far better condition than their silk counterparts.

Many of the Civil War era flags in our collection cannot be physically displayed without causing further damage. KHS stores flags flat in a stable environment. Our goal is to slow the deterioration as much as possible.
Collection KHS Museum Collection
Event American Civil War
People Wilkins, Hugh
Subjects Civil wars
Search Terms Civil War flags
Civil War
Flag remnants
Physical Holder Kentucky Historical Society - KHS