"The Old Flag and Protection" Benjamin Harrison Campaign Handkerchief, 1888

Presented is an original Benjamin Harrison campaign handkerchief, from the 1888 presidential election. Printed on white silk, this design features a waving 39-star American flag and the text “The Old Flag and Protection” at center. The flag is ornamented with oval portraits of Benjamin Harrison and his running mate Levi P. Morton, as well as a large Grand Army of the Republic badge. The handkerchief is bordered by a ring of blue stars. The 1888 Presidential campaign pitted Republican nominee Benjamin Harrison, a former U.S. senator from Indiana, against the incumbent Democratic President Grover Cleveland. The race centered around the tariff issue; Cleveland proposed a dramatic reduction in tariffs, while Harrison took the side of industrialists and factory workers who wanted to keep tariffs high. Cleveland also opposed Civil War pensions, leading to strong support among Union veterans and G.A.R. organization leaders for Harrison.  The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was founded in