American Historical Ephemera & Photography

Printed cotton 39-star flag with star pattern 7-6-7-6-7-6, 16 1/4 by 12 in. United States flag from 1889 (Officially July 4, 1890). At that time, it was generally thought that Dakota Territory would become the 39th state of the Union – and the first new addition since #38 Colorado in 1876. The enterprising company that manufactured this flag went ahead and released it early with the hopes of getting ahead of the competition. However, on November 2, 1889 it was announced that Dakota Territory would be divided into two states, North and South Dakota, and both given entrance. Soon after, Washington, Montana and Idaho were admitted to the Union, so that by July 1890 there were 43 states. Therefore, this 39 star flag is unusual as it was never officially our country’s banner – as the official flag went from 38 to 43 stars.