An Early 20thC Medium Sized Cotton British Vintage Printed Union Jack Flag

Origin: British
Period: Early-Twentieth Century
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1920-30
Height: 43 inches
Width: 65 inches

The printed medium to large sized Union Jack flag in soft thin cotton is in worn but sound overall order, commensurate with age, showing a superb consistent gentle fade across the textile surviving from the first quarter of the twentieth century.

There is some amber spotting to the flag providing real character and there are ties to two corners for pole attachment. Overall condition is fairly good but the textile is showing its age.

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.

Quite early this, and resplendently British.