Flags are historically rich artifacts because they usually signify a
specific location in space and time in which they were in use. The Souvenir of Egypt,a textile of uncertain
origins that is part of the
Travelers in the Middle East Archive, includes rich
visual imagery, including seven unidentified flags.
By determining their periods of
use, we can narrow down the period in which the Souvenir of Egypt might have been
produced and thus make a more informed argument about the silk's significance. Some
of these flags you may recognize right away, and some may be completely foreign to
you. Even a familiar flag, however, could be subtly different from the one you are
identifying with it. Consider how the flag of the United States has changed over
time.
Our search will be all the more interesting in that we have
almost no information about these flags other than their appearance. It will require a very creative use of the resources available to us,
including combining several resources to corroborate our findings. As we explore resources such as
flag histories and flag databases, note the different ways that these tools can be used and in
what situations one tool may be better than another.
Let's start with the most prominent flags in the image: the top
two in the middle, taking the one on the left first, then moving clockwise around the
image.
Note the key features of this flag: it includes three crescent and star pairs in white
on a red background. In our search for the identity of this flag we will be drawing heavily
on the resources available at Rice's Fondren Library. However, the same techniques are applicable at most
libraries.
Let's begin with the online catalog to see what sort of
resources are available there for us to use. Visit WebCat, enter "flags of the world," select the keyword
bubble above the box, and then select the Search Everything option. If you would
like a review of using online catalogs please visit our library catalog module.
Results two, three, and four look promising.
Result six reminds us that flags change over time, often into
completely different designs than the previous flag.
Results eleven and twelve also seem to address the history of flags and the way
they change over time. An earlier publication
might contain information that newer books would leave out in favor of more
recent developments.
Getting an exact match for our flag will require a bit of browsing.
Let's gather up several of these resources so that we can review their contents
for the information we need in one sitting. Besides, you will notice the similarities in their call
numbers.
Remember that similar books are grouped together for their content. When
you visit the stacks, you should always look around for other related material.
We have settled on three works to begin with--those of W.J.
Gordon, F. Edward Hume, and Whitney Smith. Let's work from oldest to most
recent. It is important for research involving such time-dependent
artifacts as flags that we pay close attention to exactly when the information
we are gathering on each flag was published.
In 1897 the world was a very different place. Consider
for a moment the position of Britain. In 1897 the British Empire stretched over the entire globe and claimed a
hold over the lands of hundreds of thousands of people who, today, recognize
themselves as citizens of independent nations. This is an aspect of Hulme's perspective that we may
want to consider when reading his work.
A brief author search in the catalog reveals that Hulme wrote
quite a few books in his time and on a variety of subjects. Although we do not
know if he was an expert on the subject we are researching, we do know that he
felt qualified to write on wildflowers, symbolism in religious art, the meanings
of proverbs, interpretations of natural formations in European architecture,
and floral design for the home and garden, and, as the listing on the title page of Flags of
the World says,
&c., &c.".
What does this tell us? We know that the author felt qualified to write
about a variety of things, not an uncommon self-attribution in Hulme's day, but
yielding a less expert analysis than, say, someone who has spent his or her life
studying one subject.
On the first page of the introduction, Hulme offers his
perspective on the nature and function of heraldry:"So soon as man passes from the
lowest stage of barbarism the necessity for some special sign, distinguishing man from man,
tribe from tribe, nation from nation, makes itself felt; and this prime necessity once met,
around the symbol chosen spirit-stirring memories quickly gather that endear it, and make it
the emblem of the power and dignity of those by whom it is borne... the distinctive Union Flag
of Britain, the tricolor of France, the gold and scarlet bars of the flag of Spain, all alike
appeal with irresistible force to the patriotism of those beneath their folds, and speak to
them of the glories and greatness of the historic past, the duties of the present, and the
hopes of the future..."
We have here several imperial motifs, such as the path from barbarism to
civilization, the association of patriotism with emblems, etc. Although these observations do
not immediately relate to our current task of identifying the flags, they could suggest a
direction for a project examining, for instance, the social and political function of flags.
We do not locate our flag specifically in Hulme's book, but we do find this:
Notice the two flags on the bottom of the page. We have a paired crescent moon
and a star on a red background, but not three crescent/star pairs.
We check the appendix for our plate number (listed atop the
images), 21
and find the region of origin, Turkey. If we then look to the index at the
back of the book...
we find Turkey's location in the text. Let's see what Hulme has to say
about the flags:
"The crescent moon and star... were adopted by the Turks as their device on the capture of
Constantinople by Mahomet II, in 1453. They were originally the symbol of Diana, the Patroness
of Byzantium, and were adopted by the Ottomans as a badge of triumph. Prior to that event,
the crescent was a very common charge in the armorial bearings of English Knights, but it fell
into considerable disuse when it became the special device of the Mohamedans, though even so
late as the year 1464 we find Rene, Duke of Anjou, founding an Order of Knighthood
having as its badge the crescent moon, encircled by a motto signifying 'praise by increasing.'
This historical information may prove relevant, particularly
the association of the star and crescent with Constantinople
since 1453. Let's move on the next work.
Published thirty years after Hulme's book, Gordon's work likely includes
all that has changed after World War I. This is important for our research in
particular because of the marked impact that WWI had on the borders and national
identities of the Arab World. Let's jump to the table of contents and see about our
options.
Flags of Africa and Asia seems to be the most promising section for our
purposes, considering what we have learned so far about our flag.
Note that flags 11 and 12 closely resemble our flag. Let's see where the appendix lists
these flags as originating from.
We discover that flag 11 is Egypt's, while 12 is Turkey's. Let's see
what Gordon has to say about Egypt, looking it up in the
index.
Gordon writes: "The crescent is more a symbol of Constantinople than of the Turks, and
it dates from the days of Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. When, so the
legend runs, that enterprising monarch besieged Byzantium in 339 B.C he met with repulse after
repulse and tried as a last resource to undermine the walls, but the crescent moon shone out so
gloriously that the attempt was discovered and the city saved. And thereupon the Byzantines
adopted the crescent as their badge, and Diana, whose emblem it was, as their patronness.
When the Roman emperors came, the crescent was not displaced, and it continued to be the city
badge under the Christian emperors. In 1453, when Mohammed the Second took Constantinople, it
was still to the fore, and being in want of something to vary the monotony of the plain red
flag under which he had led his men to victory, he, with great discrimination, availed
himself of the old Byzantine badge, explaining that it meant Constantinople on a field of
blood..."
"Where the star came from is not so clear. A star within a
crescent was a badge of Richard I more than two hundred and fifty years before Constantinople
fell, which implies that the crescent was adopted by the Saracens if, as we are told, the
device was emblematic of the crusades and the star stood for the star of Bethlehem. In his badge
Richard placed the crescent on its back and the star above it; but when Mohammedanism became
triumphant the Turks took the star and placed it with the upright crescent where the dark area
of the moon should be, from which on some flags it has emerged. Others tell us it is the star
of piercing brightness, the morning star, Al Târek, the star which appeareth by the night of
the eighty-sixth chapter of the Korân..."
More embellishment on the story we read in Hulme. But what of the
history of our flag? Let's try the third book.
Smith's book promises to provide useful historical perspective.
By 1975 the world had witnessed national conflict of all kinds,
including a second world war and countless localized skirmishes dividing
existing nations and producing new ones. A brief Author search in the catalog
tells us that Smith has written many books, every one about flags.
Let's take a look at the table of contents for our options.
Just what we are looking for, National Flags and their Histories. But
Smith's book has much more to offer than that, as we shall see. Looking in the
index we find an interesting option: Star(s) and moon, symbolism of, 316-317. If we skip to p. 316, we find a collection of such flags,
as well as a numbered index for their origins.
However, when we scan the page for our flag we find an unpleasant piece
of evidence...
It is not often that the one page in a book that you need is the one that has been
torn out.
But such frustrations serve as a reminder of the care required of us
when we are permitted to use such resources. With a stiff lip and the
resolve of the determined historian, we move on.
As we continue to browse this book we find our symbol in this
fascinating chart.
It seems that Smith has categorized the flags in the work by symbol and
form as well, the footprint of a specialist indeed.
A scan of the index brings us to the pages on Egypt, the nation
of origin for our flag.
We have a number of options; let's go right to the history page.
The first thing we see is our flag along side many other similar flags,
an indication of its evolution over the years.
A closer look reveals the handwritten words "Mehmet Ali." The
adjoined paragraph explains:
The Ottoman flag in the nineteenth century normally bore a white star and crescent on
its red field, although both Turkish and Egyptian ships very frequently displayed the old,
plain red ensign. Muhammad Ali did introduce one distinctive new flag which eventually became
the first real Egyptian national flag. Perhaps to symbolize the victory of his armies in three
continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa) or his own sovereignty over Egypt, Nubia, and the Sudan,
Ali set three white crescents and three stars on a red field. Technically only the personal
standard of Muhammad Ali--and of those who followed him as hereditary rules of Egypt under the
title of khedive--the flag was at least a mark of distinction between Egypt and Turkey.
But it is the next page that fully satisfies our immediate
needs.
This chart identifies the period and location of this flag's use. Based on this
evidence, we can determine that our flag served as the flag of Egypt and Sudan from 1914-1923.
We have gained a good
amount of information and gathered a few valuable resources. Let's move on to
the next flag.
Here we have the second of the two most dominant flags on the silk. Let's note a few
key details about the flag: it includes a red cross bordered with white on a blue background,
with another tilted cross (or X) across it.
Since we have already explored some print resources,
let's look for more resources online.
Let's perform a basic search on line for "flags of the world";
any search engine will do. The first link to come up looks promising:
Visit the site and select the search option.
Now we are presented with a truly unique kind of search page.
The problem of having to search for images rather than for words has been solved
by this site in a very creative manner, as you can see. The options are pretty
general, so you can search for the same image in a variety of ways. We have
chosen the following:
The results bring up more questions than answers, however. There seems
to be a variety of applications for the motif of our flag and in a number of
places.
But there are a few that seem to be a close match.
Selecting the image entitled United Kingdom
provides us with the following information.
A little short of what we have found in other resources. But we can
take this information and perform a new search for more extensive information. Let's
enter "flag united kingdom" into Google to see what we get.
Here we are, the flag and its history. The page on the flag's history tells us that the "Modern flag" of the United
Kingdom was adopted in 1801.
Of course, when we are using online sources, we need
to make sure that they are credible. By visiting the site home page, we find that flagspot.net is a member of the official
organization for the study of flags (called vexillology) and that there is an editorial staff
that maintains the pages, so we can probably trust this information.
We note that flag three includes green, white, and red stripes. Within the white
field is what
appears to be a white cross on a red shield (?) topped with a yellow or gold crown of some sort. Rather than browse through pages and pages of illustration plates,
let's see what the
World Flag Database can tell us about this combination of colors and bars.
First we search for vertical stripes with white or grey, red, and any green.
We find a few options, most having to do with Italy, but none is an exact
match. For instance
Let's take the information we have
gathered from this source and use it to explore other sources.
Our most recent publication, Whitney Smith, presents us with
the following image of Italian flags that is close to ours but missing a few important elements.
We also find this description of the flag's
history:
"On 23 March 1848 King Charles Albert of Sardinia ordered his troops about to go to war
with the Austrian forces who occupied northern Italy, to carry the Italian Tri-color. In
actual practice many variations appeared, but officially the center of the white stripe was to
bear the red shield and white cross of the House of Savoy, surrounded by a blue border. The
same model on 15 April 1848 replaced the former Sardinian civil ensign and, with the crown
above the shield, also became the war ensign. Subsequently, civil and military regulations
were issued dealing with certain details of the usage and design of this flag."
>Although we find no crown over our ensign, we find it described in the
notes. Let's try Hulme's work to find out more.
Hulme also provides with a similar image:
He also gives his own historical description of the flag, but no
insights into the appearance of the a crown in the image on the silk.
Gordon's book finally provides us with the closest image we
have yet to find in any of our sources:
He also offers us an explanation for its appearance.
"Thus Italy regained the old tricolour for its merchant flag, which would be as Napoleon
left it, were it not for the difficulty about that of Mexico, to distinguish it from which it
bears the Savoy shield without a crown. The ensign has the crown. The jack is square, being
a white cross on red with a broad blue border taking the place of the border of the shield."
It would appear that the flag with the shield and crown was in use by Italy from
1848 until the disagreement with Mexico over the rights to use the image, but
that date is not given in any of our sources. We know from Smith, however, that the Savoy
shield was in use until 1946.
This flag of three vertical stripes with no emblems proves relatively
easy to find in all of our sources. The
World
Flag Database furnishes us with its nationality:
A flag of three vertical stripes did prove easy
to find in our sources. However, probably because I am more familiar with the
national flag of Germany,
I am willing to confess that I did spend a handful of hours searching
for the portrait that we find next to this flag on the silk in our resources on
German history. It wasn't until I had exhausted all of the resources at hand
that I even considered the possibility that I had made a mistake in identifying
the flag as German. This is an excellent place to remind ourselves that making
these kind of mistakes is not silly, but par for the course; we all make
mistakes. Its only when we find ourselves denying our mistakes despite the
inconsistencies they cause in the research that we become truly silly
people.
We find the dates for Belgium's flag quickly in the Smith book.
We have the national flag of Belgium, in use since 1913.
Interestingly, none of our sources can provide us with an exact match for this
flag, which features the British "Union Jack" in the upper left, adjacent to five white
stars of varying sizes on a field of blue. And yet every one of our sources can provide us with dozens of flags that
resemble it very closely. Consider this figure from Smith:
The style, called a canton, is relatively old; it includes an
image in the upper left hand corner approximately one quarter the size of the
whole. According to Smith, the use of the Union Jack as a canton designated
everything from the position of a particular ship in a fleet to the identity of
a protectorate, dominion or colony in her Empire. The closest to our flag is
that of Australia, but we will need to explore other sources for the identity of
this elusive flag. Suffice it to say, at this point, that the flag is in line
with our collected references to the British Empire and leave its official
identity until we have collected more information about the rest of the flags
and their relationship to one another.
After quite a bit of searching for this flag both online and in our
reference material we have hit a wall: a flag bearing three vertical color bars
of white blue and red (in that order from the flag pole out) simply does not
seem to exist.
Recall the mistake made a little earlier, when we read the
color bars horizontally instead of vertically and came up with Germany instead
of Belgium. Let’s investigate the possibility that the artist who painted the
design on the silk may have done the same thing.
After entering the new arrangement into the World Flag Database we quickly locate a
match.
Hulme and Gordon, however, list the flag in two different ways,
as a commercial and a merchant flag respectively.
Smith offers this caption:
This suggests that the flag would have been in use from 1799 until 1917
by "imperial" Russia, followed by its brief use during that year by the Russian
"Republic." This date falls in line with what we have found so far. We will need
to wait for our investigation of the portraits to be absolutely sure, though.
As we move through our series on the Souvenir of Egypt,
we will be exploring the meaning of the dates and analyzing the flags as we build an
argument about the significance of the silk. Right now, these rough dates are enough for our
purposes here.
Our last flag, which features vertical stripes of blue, white and red, is relatively easy to locate in all of our sources.
Although the
World Flag Database lists
many similar flags, it associates their derivatives to this one:
Smith offers this genealogy:
This list gives us some variants on the same design and places our flag
in the silk at any point beyond 1848.
Let's summarize what we have so far.
Flag one: in use in Egypt from 1914-1923 as a mark
of distinction from Turkey, both of which were under Ottoman rule during the
period.
Flag two: In use in the United Kingdom from 1801
and remains the national flag today. Also appears in the canton of many regional
flags in areas previously colonized by the British.
Flag three: The national flag of Italy from 1848
until 1946, losing the crown above the shield at an undetermined point sometime
during that period.
Flag four: The national flag of Belgium from 1913
until today.
Flag five: Our least fruitful investigation, this
flag resembles flags used by the protectorates, dominions or colonies of the
British Empire, but we have no exact match as of yet.
Flag six: Listed as the commercial, merchant and
national flag of the Russian Federation, we know that it was in use from
1799-1917 as a civil ensign, an alternate civil flag, the imperial standard of
Russia and, for one year, that of the Russian Republic.
Flag seven: The national flag of France since
1848, in use as such today.
From these dates we can narrow down the date of the production of our
silk, or at least the event or relationship that it represents. It seems like the earliest date
for the silk is 1914, when the Egyptian flag first came into use. The Russian flag
appears to have gone out of use in 1917. The next cut off date would be
the falling out of use of the Egyptian flag in 1923. These are only
speculations, of course, but we will certainly benefit from this information when
we begin trying to identify the faces in the images in the next section.
We should also reflect on what we have learned about the process of identifying these flags. We
have found that both print and online resources can be valuable for historical research. Online
resources such as the map database can offer handy tools for quick identification, while print
resources often provide historical perspective and offer more in-depth analysis.
