In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson officially established June 14 as Flag Day. It commemorates the date in 1777 when the 2nd Continental Congress adopted the stars and stripes as the official flag of the United States. I decided to pull together a Maker’s Dozen collection around the Flag Day theme. I looked around the studio and in my collections and found 13 oddities inspired by red, white, and blue!
The finds for this Maker’s Dozen:
A collection of watercolor (cadmium red, alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue, ribbon bearing the colors, painted parts from that time I illustrated Santa bringing an American flag in his sleigh, vintage crayons, flag cupcake topper, a postcard from Walt Disney World’s Hall of Presidents and a few more…
Norman Rockwell’s “Flying Uncle Sam” illustration was first published on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in 1928, and was used by the magazine in 1974 for this ad promoting subscriptions. Rockwell’s wit and whimsical style is unmistakable, and synonymous with the American spirit!
I was in 2nd grade in 1976 when we celebrated America’s Bicentennial year. I remember lots of patriotic lessons, programs, and we even held a mock election to coincide with the 1976 presidential election. (I voted for Jimmy Carter because I liked peanuts. A good choice, I think.) Sometime during that year, we each brought home this small flag with the official Bicentennial logo commissioned for the country’s year-long celebration.
Other items in the collection… There is no shortage of flag imagery on U.S. postage stamps, I found this 5-cent stamp commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Savings Bond Program, which was issued in 1966. Of course, American flag colors are pretty common for medals and pins, especially for political campaigns. I found these examples to add to the Maker’s Dozen, including a 1949 presidential campaign button for Thomas Dewey. Lurking in my inspiration filing cabinet, I also found this Curt Teich & Co. souvenir booklet for Washington D.C., copyright 1942. I kept it when we were going through some things from my grandmother’s house, and I think they must have picked it up when the family visited Washington in the mid 1960s. The frontispiece includes a statement that images of the capital city were chosen, “for they belong to and are part of the Capital of our country… We take patriotic pride in it as the Heart of the Nation, which in splendor and dignity is worthy of the Republic for which it stands.”
On Flag Day (and every day), may we seek to reflect the freedom represented in this honored symbol – and the Republic for which it stands. May we continually extend that freedom to others.
Hello & welcome! I’m Haley Montgomery, and I’m the designer and owner of 
