42-Star American Parade Flag, Commemorating Washington Statehood, 1889

This is an uncommon 42-star flag, commemorating the addition of the state of Washington to the Union. The flag dates to 1889-1890, and is printed on cotton. The canton consists of seven rows of six stars, stacked in an unusual, shifted star pattern. The stars were most likely clamp-dyed. The flag design is completed with 13 alternating red and white stripes, each stripe representing one of the original thirteen colonies. The 42 star flag is interesting from a historical perspective, both because 42 was never an official star count, and because 42 star flags were only produced for 8 months, from November 1889 to July 4, 1890. The flag represents the addition of the Dakotas, Montana, and Washington, between November 2 and November 11, 1889. The 42nd state was officially Washington, but the four states gained their statehood only nine days apart, and flag makers added four stars, accordingly, to the previously official 38 star flag. After 1818, star counts became official on the 4th of Ju