the StaR ★ Spangled banner

State-of-the-Flag Report ★ 2001
THE

STAR-SPANGLED BANNER 

PRESERVATION PROJECT

AT THE

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY,

BEHRING CENTER

is made possible by major support from 

POLO RALPH LAUREN

Generous support is provided by 

THE PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS

UNITED STATES CONGRESS

THE JOHN S. AND JAMES L. KNIGHT FOUNDATION

Special thanks to

FORMER FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON

AND THE WHITE HOUSE MILLENNIUM COUNCIL

and 

SAVE AMERICA’S TREASURES AT

THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION

for their leadership

Front cover: Detail of the Star-Spangled Banner

without Fowler stitches, revealing its true,

vibrant colors. Photo by Ira Block and 

Jeff Tinsley. © National Geographic and

Smithsonian Institution. 
F or more than

155 years, the

Smithsonian Institution

has been the guardian of America’s

cultural heritage. The Smithsonian

preserves the objects that represent

our collective history and offers all Americans numerous

venues across the country where they can explore the

seminal experiences that continue to shape our nation. 

Perhaps no other object tells as compelling a story about

the beginnings of our country as the Star-Spangled

Banner. This famous flag flew over Fort McHenry in

Baltimore during the British bombardment of 1814 and

inspired Francis Scott Key to pen his patriotic poem that

became the national anthem in 1931.

When Eben Appleton, grandson of the commander of

Fort McHenry and caretaker of the flag, was looking for

an appropriate place to preserve the Star-Spangled Banner

for all time, he turned to the Smithsonian. He wanted 

it to stay on public view at the Smithsonian forever. 

True to our promise, we have kept the Star-Spangled

Banner on almost continuous view since then.

As you know, the timeworn, almost 188-year-old textile

is now undergoing a groundbreaking conservation 

treatment at the National Museum of American History,

Behring Center—in full view of the public. Preserving

such a large and aged object as the Star-Spangled Banner

is quite a challenge. We are using many tools, from 

needle and thread to NASA near-infrared spectral 

imaging. We have removed the banner’s linen backing,

originally attached in 1914 during the first Smithsonian

preservation effort, and all its nearly two million stitches.

Absent its backing, the flag’s fragile state is readily 

apparent; a gust of wind could virtually sweep it away.

We will never let that happen. We also discovered 

previously unseen patches on the original flag and 

more vibrant colors in the fabric. We’re sharing all these 

discoveries with the public, so a visitor can return several

times and each time see a different view of the flag. 

This report details our progress in the preservation

effort. We explain what we have discovered about 

the Star-Spangled Banner, and how that knowledge

informs our decisions on how to best care for it. 

The conservation team now estimates that, because 

of the strides they’re making in techniques and

research, the life span of this national treasure might

be expanded as much as 500 years. 

We are on schedule and very optimistic about the

future of the Star-Spangled Banner. We’re keeping our

promise to Eben Appleton and the nation. We hope

you find the project as enthralling as we do, and if you

haven’t already visited, we invite you to come to the

Museum to see for yourself.

Thank you very much for your continued support. 

Lawrence M. Small, Secretary 

A Message from 

THE Secretary
T 

Hist

cent

the Sm

and the American people wi

of this country’s most belove

the Star-Spangled Banner. In 

embarked upon the Star-Spa

Project, a major conservatio

next millennium one of the 

our national identity. 

Why is it important to p

such as the Star-Spangled B

our nation—what more ma

than that of our flag emergi

darkness of Fort McHenry o

September of 1814? 

This is the first time that 

a project to preserve such a l

object. We didn’t want to do 

out of sight of the public. Th

Star-Spangled Banner can be 

Museum’s state-of-the-art con

focal point of an exhibition t

than four million people sinc

Once the flag’s conservat

proud to announce that it w
“... And the rocket’s

red glare, the bomb

bursting in air, gave

proof through the

night that our flag

was still there... ”

— FRANCIS SCOTT KEY
F ROM ITS HU

BEGINNING 

as an ordinar

flag to its transformation 

national symbol of our A

identity, the Star-Spangl

Banner has served to rem

all people of this countr

fascinating past and our 

ideals of citizenship, pat

and national identity.

The Museum’s 

Star-Spangled Banner

Preservation Project is

unprecedented in the 

of the Smithsonian In

“This is about th

one of the mos

—Visitor to the 

Behring Cente

First known photo of the 

Star-Spangled Banner, 

Boston Navy Yard, 1873. 

American Antiquarian Society,

Worcester, Mass.

Mary Pickersgill. Pickers

DID YOU KNOW...?

Throughout history, flags 

have generally been regarded

as utilitarian objects—only

occasionally repaired and

usually discarded when they

are too worn to use.

STATE-OF-THE-FLAG REPORT

The State o
★ The state of the flag

NATURAL AGING AND DAMAGE

from exposure and handling 

of the Star-Spangled Banner,

already well under way when 

it arrived at the Smithsonian

Institution in 1907, has literally 

threatened the existence of the

nearly 200-year-old artifact. 

By the end of the 20th century,

it had become clear that the

Museum needed to take 

immediate action to halt the

deterioration. 

In 1996, the Museum 

convened a technical advisory

symposium, inviting 50 of the

world’s foremost conservators,

historians, curators, engineers,

and organic scientists to 

evaluate the flag’s condition and

recommend a course of action

for its conservation and

future preservation. 

Some of these experts have

continued to advise the

CONDITION OF THE FLAG

“This Flag is part of our history...it is incredible that it has been 

preserved this long considering what it’s been through.”

—Visitor to the National Museum of American History, 

Behring Center, 1999

★ THE FLAG TODAY measures 30-by-34

feet. With its linen backing, it weighed

about 150 pounds; without its backing,

the flag weighs about 50 pounds.

Although people are continually amazed

by the flag's monumental size, its original

size of 30 by 42 feet was typical of

19th-century garrison flags. Flown from

90-foot-tall poles, these giant flags were

meant to be seen from great distances.

★ PIECES OF THE FLAG were removed

from the fly edge and the interior—and

reportedly given to important personages, 

a common practice at the time, known as

“souveniring”—before it came to the

Smithsonian in 1907.

★ MARY PICKERSGILL started sewing 

the Star-Spangled Banner in her home in

Baltimore. When it outgrew the confines

of her home, she borrowed the nearby

malt house of a local brewery in which 

to complete the flag.
Museum. In December 1998,

the flag was carefully removed

from the wall where it had hun

for 35 years and transported to

a specially designed state-of-the

art conservation laboratory at

the Museum. It lies there today

visible to the public, the focal

point for an exhibition about 

its illustrious history and the

conservation process.

The flag’s condition has

been exhaustively documented 

at each stage of the preservation

project. Research indicated that

over its lifetime 80 percent of th

wool’s physical strength has been

lost. Fortunately the wool’s

chemical structure has

remained mostly

unchanged, with light

causing the most severe

damage. The cumulative effect

of nearly 200 years of light,

dust, and a host of 

environmental 

Francis Scott 

STATE-OF-THE-FLAG REPORT

★ WEATHER IS AN ENEMY of all flags.

When the Star-Spangled Banner flew at

Fort McHenry, it suffered from exposure

to the elements. A preservation treatment

by Amelia Fowler in 1914 dramatically

altered the worn and stretched flag to

give it a rectangular flat look — which

made for a more pleasing appearance 

in her day. The flag‘s halyard (rope) 

also was removed from its hoist. 

The old halyard will be displayed in the

new Star-Spangled Banner exhibition.

★ THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER

has 15 stars and 15 stripes as 

mandated by the Flag Act of 1794.
fabric, have opened up. Severe

breakage of the textile fibers was

caused by abrasion, a virtually

imperceptible, but constant,

movement of the flag against

the old linen backing. Before

coming to the Smithsonian, 

significant portions of the flag,

about 8 feet or 240 square feet,

were worn away and lost to a

common practice called 

“souveniring,” in which pieces

of the flag were removed and

given away as mementos. 

Sketch of losses and damaged areas

Magnification of wool fibers

from the Star-Spangled Banner

DID YOU KNOW...? 

The Star-Spangled Banner

was first displayed in the

Smithsonian's Arts and

Industries Building. In 1964,

it was placed in the new

National Museum of History

and Technology, renamed 

the National Museum of

American History in 1980. Magnification of dirt vacuumed from flag
TEXT ILE CONSERVATION IS A SCIENCE

carried out by highly

skilled and trained practitioners

called conservators. In a 

museum setting, for example,

conservators

examine, 

document, and

treat fragile 

artifacts, such as the

Star-Spangled Banner, to

stabilize them and to halt or

reduce further damage, with the

goal of preserving them for

future generations. 

Detailed documentation

is critical to the conservation

process. The flag’s conservators

realize they are not the first,

WHAT IS TEXT ILE CO

Conservators used small scissors t

The thread then was removed with

DID YOU KNOW...?

The flag‘s colors are actually

much more vibrant and bright.

The true colors had long been

obscured by Fowler's 1914

“dyed-to-match” stitches,

which faded with time.

Detail of the patent issued to Amelia 

Fowler on October 7, 1913. U.S. Patent 

and Trademark Office, Washington, D.C.

STATE-OF-THE-FLAG REPORT

Cons
techniques become available.

Unfortunately, Fowler’s 1914

treatment of the Star-Spangled

Banner—the best available at

that time—was neither well

documented nor easily

reversible. This has challenged

conservators as they

proceed to treat

and preserve

the flag

today. 

IF YOU WANT TO 

LEARN MORE... 

The Star-Spangled Banner Project has

inspired an array of ongoing public 

programs geared toward all ages, 

including lectures and symposia, family

days, and living history performances. 

A host of educational materials makes it

possible for the Museum to extend the

Star-Spangled Banner Project from the

National Mall in Washington, D.C.,

into homes and schoolrooms

across the country, enriching the

learning experience of millions 

of adults and children.

Conservators clipping stitches

★ textile conservation |

Amelia Fowler and seamstresses, 1914

Time line
T HE FLAG’S

ENVIRONMENT is

the most important

factor in determining its future

preservation and display. 

A secure, climate-controlled

setting, low light levels, and 

the elimination of any

contact with soils

and pollution will

be required in the

flag’s future display 

to ensure its survival.

The Star-Spangled Banner

is no longer an intact piece of

fabric and cannot support its

own weight. Conservation 

science has already determined

that vertical display of textiles 

is the single most stressful 

e

p

e

c

m

f

in

t

s

m

b

f

e

D ISPLAY ING TH E FLAG IN T

★ SCIENTIFIC TESTS indicate that the

Star-Spangled Banner could survive for 

at least 500 years, and perhaps even

1,000, if the Smithsonian can significantly

reduce the mechanical agents–including

abrasion from debris, air movement and

handling--that stress the flag. 

★ A RED “V“ on one of the white stripes

has prompted long-standing interest. 

It very likely represents the beginning of

the letter “A” for Armistead, the name of

Fort McHenry's commander.

STATE-OF-THE-FLAG REPORT

presen
★ Flag Display | New insights

SINCE 1998, 

many features of the 

Star-Spangled Banner

have been revealed for the 

first time. The Museum is 

continually discovering more 

of the flag’s secrets. Here are

just a few: • Old repairs of the flag have

been identified; 27 areas have

been patched over the years.

• Distinctive staining patterns

resembling cursive handwriting

have been discovered on the

fabric; are these the signatures

referred to in historical 

documents? Scientific analysis

now under way may provide

an answer.

• Perhaps the most important

discovery has been the

Museum’s new understanding

of the deteriorated condition

of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Conservators are creating a

special “map” of the flag 

that indicates the areas of

greatest weakness. 

IF YOU WANT TO 

LEARN MORE... 

Click onto the Museum’s

award-winning Star-Spangled

Banner website 

(americanhistory.si.edu/ssb)

to find out more about the

history of the banner and 

for brief updates on the 

conservation process.

DISCOVERING THE FLAG’S SECRETS

Threadbare area, illustrating losses

Detail of star with inscription

New insights
“What will happen to the Star-Spangled B

hundred years? Will this be a lifetime con

— Visitor to the National Museum of Americ

Behring Center, 1999

IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE... 

Millions of television viewers learned about the flag‘s illustrious history

and the Smithsonian’s role in preserving it in a dramatic 50-minute 

documentary produced by The History Channel in collaboration with 

the National Museum of American History—a highlight of the Channel‘s

1998 “Save our History” campaign. The History Channel and the

Museum also published and have distributed more than 120,000 

copies of The Star-Spangled Banner Project K-8 Teacher’s Manual.

STATE-OF-THE-FLAG REPORT

Next 
★ Next Steps

I

N 2000, conservation

of the flag continued as

the conservation team

carefully removed each of

Fowler’s 1.7 million stitches

from the old linen backing.

This task and the removal of

the entire linen backing, to be

completed by February 2001,

will reveal a side of the flag 

that has not been 

seen by the public

since 1873. 

Much

remains to be

done over the next

two years, including the

completion of the conservation

treatment, making a final 

decision on how to display the

flag in the future, and creating

a new permanent exhibition

that will feature the 

Star-Spangled Banner. 

The Star-Spangled Banner

will become part of a new 

exhibition, titled For Which It

Stands (taken from the Pledge 

of Alligence). This exhibition 

will include a rich array of 

artifacts and compelling personal

narratives to explore the 

universal themes represented 

by the American flag and its

important place in our history

and in our daily lives.

The time 

has long since 

passed for the

Star-Spangled

Banner to fly 

triumphantly in 

the wind as it did in 

the first years after its creation.

However, if properly supported

and subjected to no further

environmental or physical

stresses, even the extensive

damage that was suffered by

our flag over the past 187 

years need not prevent its

being displayed.

★ THE RED AND WHITE STRIPES

and the blue union of the Star-Spangled

Banner are made of English woolen

bunting, dyed blue with indigo and red

with cochineal and madder. The stars 

are cotton and are sewn into the union

by reverse appliqué method.

★ EACH STAR is about two feet across

and each stripe is approximately 

23 inches wide.

★ IN 1914, it took Fowler and her team

of ten needlewomen just eight weeks to

apply the 1.7 million stitches needed to

attach a linen backing to the flag. It took

the equivalent of seven human years of

labor to remove those stitches.

In 1999 John Hillman, an astrophysicist for NASA, mapped the surface

of the flag using near-infrared spectral imaging
T HE STAR-SPANGLED

BANNER is a tangible

reminder of our

American identity. It is a

dynamic and fluid symbol, one

that has assumed new meanings

during critical periods in

American history. 

Since the advent of the 

Star-Spangled Banner Preservation

Project in 1996, the Museum

has begun an important new

dialogue with the American

public focused on this most 

precious national icon. The

Museum has partnered with

organizations in the public and

private sectors to create innovative

television programming, 

educational activities, and 

publications about the flag 

that have stirred the popular

imagination and en

lives of millions, es

those who will nev

to Washington, D.

We believe that 

Star-Spangled Bann

Preservation Project 

generated new adm

pride in the objects 

national heritage, en

to appreciate anew o

past and our hopes 

As caretaker of the S

Banner, the Smithso

Institution and its N

Museum of Americ

Behring Center hav

responsibility to pro

preservation of the f

accessibility to the Am

for many generation

IF YOU WANT TO 

LEARN MORE... 

Star-Spangled Banner history

buffs will want to read

Smithsonian historian 

Lonn Taylor‘s book, 

The Star-Spangled Banner: 

The Flag that Inspired 

the National Anthem

(Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2000),

a fascinating tale that recounts

the author's original research

into the flag's history. A patch before and after the 

removal of the Fowler stitches

Detail of damage to

one of the stars

STATE-OF-THE-FLAG REPORT

Revi

THE SSB PRESERVAT ION PRO

November 1996—Mar
★ Preservation Project | Glossary

BUNTING

This is the lightweight woolen fabric used to make flags.

CANTON

This part of the flag’s field is distinguished by color or design. 

On the Star-Spangled Banner, it is where the stars are situated. 

The canton is also called the “union.”

FIELD

This is the basic area of a flag, also called the “ground.”

FLY EDGE or FLY

This is the edge of a flag that flies loose in the wind.

GARRISON FLAG

This is a national flag flown at military installations.

HALYARD

This is the formal name for the rope that was pulled through 

the hoist, holding a flag to its pole. 

HOIST or HOIST EDGE

This is the side of a flag that is attached to the pole.

“You can neither honor the past, nor imagine

the future, nor achieve it without the kind of

citizenship embodied by all of our memories 

of the flag. So, as you see this flag, and

leave this place, promise yourself that when

your great-grandchildren are here, they’ll

not only be able to see the Star-Spangled

Banner, it will mean just as much to them

then as it does to you today.” 

— PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON,

NAT IONAL MUS EUM O F AM ER ICAN H IS TORY, B EHR ING C EN T ER , 1998

Glossary o f

Flag terms
POLO RALPH LAUREN

We at Polo Ralph Lauren are honored to join Save

America’s Treasures and the National Museum of American

History, Behring Center in the preservation of this great

American treasure. Its preservation and conservation is

imperative so that those who succeed us will understand

our nation’s heritage and the ideals on which this 

country was founded.

— Ralph Lauren 

THE PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS

We all know first-hand the goosebumps we experience when

we get an up-close look at the Star-Spangled Banner. 

We suddenly feel our heritage more deeply and understand 

our responsibility as citizens more clearly. The founders of

The Pew Charitable Trusts, believing strongly in the blessings

of living in a strong and healthy democracy, understood 

this responsibility. Our initiative to help preserve the 

Star-Spangled Banner reflects the Trusts’ continuing pride in

America’s past as well as our faith in its future. It’s part of

our own “pledge of allegiance” to our republic and its people.

This marvelous preservation effort is not merely a look back. 

It’s also a look forward, helping to give Americans of each new

generation a sense of belonging, inspiring them as civic stewards,

a fundamental obligation of being part of this great nation.

— Rebecca W. Rimel 

President and Chief Executive Officer

The Pew Charitable Trusts

STATE-OF-THE-FLAG REPORT
1 The Star-Spangled Banner

was covered with almost 2

million faded stitches which

were obscuring its red,

white and blue color. The

stitches, added in 1914 by

Amelia Fowler to hold a 

supportive linen backing to

the bunting, were originally

dyed to match the colors 

of the flag. Over the years,

these stitches faded to a

dirty beige, giving the colors

a washed out appearance.

2 The thin fabric and open

weave of the flag allowed

the color of the linen backing

to show through and made

the flag look more faded

than it really was.

3 Beginning in May 1999, 

the conservators carefully

clipped and removed the

Fowler stitches, immediately

revealing the flag‘s vibrant

reds and blues.

4 The flag’s vivid colors, 

protected from light for more

than 100 years, were discovered when the banner was

turned over and the museum’s

conservation team removed

the linen backing. For the first

time, the public can see a side

of the Star-Spangled Banner

that has been covered since

1873 when the first backing

was attached.

A Flag of many hues

1 2

3 4

The variations of color you see in these pictures illustrate the different phases of the ongoing conservation treatment.