when was bonhomme created
According to the story, Stafford had saved the flag after the battle and it was later presented to him -- and surprisingly not to John Paul Jones -- in 1784 by a committee of the US Congress. A piece of the Stafford Bonhomme flag was exhibited at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial. Another piece had earlier been cut off and given to President Abraham Lincoln. It reportedly ended up in the Smithsonian Institution, according to printed reports, where it was on display as the authentic article.