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Smithsonian Releases New Image of the Star-Spangled Banner |
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-- Revealing a Side Never Before Photographed --
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Behring Center will release a new composite image of the famous flag that inspired the national anthem. It features a side of the Star-Spangled Banner that has never before been photographed and, for the first time, reveals the true condition of the almost 200-year-old flag.
In 1873 a canvas backing was sewn onto one side of the flag to support it during a display at the Boston Navy Yard where it was photographed for the first time. The flag came to the Smithsonian in 1907 as a loan, which was turned into a permanent gift in 1912. Two years later, the Institution hired Amelia Fowler, a professional flag restorer, who exchanged the canvas backing for one made of linen. Beginning in 1999, museum conservators removed the backing and the once dyed-to-match stitches that held it to the flag.
No longer masked by the backing, the new composite image captures the flag in its true state -- revealing colors that are brighter and more vibrant. The new photo also shows the fragile state of the flag in greater detail. For the first time, a photographic image clearly shows the many patches sewn on the flag to repair damage -- some dating back to the 1814 battle at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. The photo also reveals how the fly edge was trimmed to even out the ragged edge. Previous photographs, taken at a greater distance, were misleading and did not show how much of the textile has been lost over its almost 200-year lifetime.
Creating this new photo proved a challenge for Smithsonian photographers. Working inside of the conservation lab, they could not position themselves far away enough to capture the 30-by- 34-inch flag in a single frame. Instead, they took 72 individual photographs, each measuring 44-square inches. The camera (Hasselblad ELX) was mounted fairly close to the flag on a gantry, which is a movable bridge that allows staff access to the entire span of the flag. Using a computer program, the 72 smaller images were then assembled piece-by-piece to create one image.
"This image is a remarkable document," said Sheila Burke, Smithsonian Under Secretary for American Museums and National Programs. "It is truly amazing that this flag, made in 1813 and originally designed for two years of use at the fort, still survives to this day. Despite all the damage and losses, there is no mistaking that this is the Star-Spangled Banner, a symbol of the endurance of this nation and of the ideals for which it stands."
The Star-Spangled Banner is a 15-star, 15-stripe garrison flag, which was loosely woven so that it could fly on a 90-foot flagpole. As evident from the 1873 photograph, the flag was extensively damaged from use at the fort, the practice of "souveniring" and intermittent displays before it came to Washington. Although the Smithsonian treated the flag with great care to the preservation of the fragile banner, almost 90 years of public display and exposure to light and airborne soils have caused some additional damage.
"Preserving this national treasure has been a priority for the Smithsonian since we took custody of it," said Marc Pachter, acting director of the museum. "The museum began this project to guarantee that generations of Americans will continue to be inspired by it."
The Star-Spangled Banner is undergoing a multi-year conservation treatment at the museum with the aim to clean and stabilize the flag and to preserve it for future generations. The museum is not restoring the flag to look like new and museum visitors agree.
"Visitors have told us over and over that they are not disappointed at seeing the tattered condition of the flag, rather they are awed that it has survived, " said Star-Spangled Banner Project curator Marilyn Zoidis. "They tell us that the holes and the tears show that this is the real Star-Spangled Banner, an old flag full of history that would be lost if restored to look like new."
Three years of conservation work have revealed the true shape and condition of the banner. Now that the linen backing and the approximately 1.7 million stitches that attached it to the flag have been removed, the extent of the damage and the extreme fragility of the aging flag have become clear. The earlier 1914 treatment hid the fact that the flag had been distorted from flying at the fort and had been patched a number of times. To strengthen the flag and to prepare it for exhibit, Fowler manipulated the banner, folding and stretching it into a perfect rectangular form and then stitching it to the linen backing.
With the flag completely free of stitches and backing, the conservation team has been able to research and document the large textile thoroughly. Their research includes analyzing repairs and patches to try to establish a chronology of when those repairs were made. Conservators have found some completely threadbare areas, especially in the white stripes.
In addition to a vacuuming in 1998, conservators have begun to clean the flag by carefully blotting it with small sponges, picking up mostly carbon particles and oils. The soils are being tested for composition. The research will help to decide whether additional cleaning procedures are safe and necessary.
The Star-Spangled Banner Preservation Project, which includes the conservation treatment and state-of-the-art laboratory, research studies and educational outreach, is budgeted at $18 million. The project is made possible by major support from Polo Ralph Lauren. Generous support is also provided by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the United States Congress and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, with special thanks to former first lady Hillary Clinton, the White House Millennium Council and Save America’s Treasures at the National Trust for Historic Preservation for their leadership.
The conservation of the Star-Spangled Banner is taking place in public view within a specially designed lab that features a 50-foot, floor-to-ceiling glass wall through which visitors can follow the process. A companion exhibition, titled "Preserving the Star-Spangled Banner: the Flag that Inspired the National Anthem," provides information about the preservation process and tells the history of the flag. More than 7 million people have visited the flag since the lab opened on May 27, 1999.
The museum is currently exploring how and where the flag will be displayed once the conservation is completed. Originally, the flag was installed -- vertically with the blue field in the upper left corner -- in the National Museum of American History in 1964 as the central icon of the museum. Last year, conservators and curators determined that the flag is too delicate to be hung at a 90-degree angle. It must be displayed on an incline of 30 degrees or less to protect the fabric from the stress of supporting its own weight.
The museum is committed to showcasing the Star-Spangled Banner in a central location but the exact site and timing of the opening are yet to be determined. The museum is also planning a new companion exhibition, titled "For Which It Stands." "This exhibition," said Pachter, "will trace the transformation of the Star-Spangled Banner from a battle relic into a treasured national icon and connect it to the larger story of the American flag in American life."
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Note to Editors:
Please do not use the word restoration to describe this project. The museum is not repairing the flag to look like new. The flag is undergoing a conservation treatment during which it will be cleaned and stabilized in order to preserve it for future generations.
Beta format B-roll taken from inside the lab, along with high-resolution phtos, are available from the museum’s Office of Public Affairs at (202) 357-3129.
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The National Museum of American History traces American heritage through exhibitions of social, cultural, scientific and technological history. Collections are displayed in exhibitions that interpret the American experience from Colonial times to the present. The museum is located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W., and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except Dec. 25. For more information, visit the museum’s Web site at http://americanhistory.si.edu or call (202) 633-1000.
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