An Attractive British Vintage Printed Union Jack Flag

Origin: British
Period: Early-Twentieth Century
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1900-30
Height: 32 inches
Width: 50 inches

The printed Union Jack flag in soft thin cotton is in sound condition with a lovely consistent gentle fade across the fabric particularly to the blue, now paled to a sky blue slate tone. There is some fraying to some edges and a couple of stains, with one corner still tied in a knot, all of these anomalies making for a piece telling a real story.

The current design of the flag dates from the union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801. When the first flag was introduced in 1606, it became known simply as "the British flag" or "the flag of Britain". The word "jack" was in use before 1600 to describe the maritime bow flag. One theory goes that for some years it would have been called just "the Jack", or "Jack flag", or "the King's Jack", but by 1674, while formally referred to as "His Majesty's Jack", it was commonly called the Union Jack, and this was officially acknowledged.

An attractive antique flag in a useful size making it extremely decorative.