The flag was commissioned by Major George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry, and made by Mary Pickersgill. Small pieces of the flag were given away as relics; over two hundred square feet of the Star-Spangled Banner was eventually given away, including one of the stars., Note on back of frame reads: "Fort McHenry Sept. 13 & 14 1874. The original of the "Star Spangled Banner." Photographed June 24, 1873 by permission of Mrs. Georgianna Armistead Appleton, daughter of Colonel Armistead.", Part of the McAllister Collection., Exhibited in: the Smithsonian's exhibition, Snippings from the Star-Spangled Banner (2001); the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's exhibition, "Our Flag Was Still There": The Star-Spangled Banner's Bicentennial (2014).
Set of six flags: French, Belgium, Italian, Union Jack, and two 48-star American flags. These flags decorated Mabel Brice’s home at 1320 Locust Street when she hosted the Queen of Belgium for tea. Mabel Brice Wheeler (1873-1965) volunteered in the Emergency Aid of Pennsylvania’s Belgium Relief Committee during the First World War. The Belgian Royal family toured the United States between September 23 and November 1919 to thank the American people for all of their help. King Albert and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, along with their son Leopold, the Duke of Brabant, traveled to Philadelphia on October 27, 1919. They went to Independence Hall and the headquarters of the Belgian Relief Committee. The Queen had tea at the home of Mabel Brice while the King and Duke explored the shipyard at Hog Island. Ephraim and Mary Brice (Mabel’s parents) purchased the house in 1900, and Mabel lived there the rest of her life. The Library Company bought the residence in 1967., Found in the collection-from the Cassatt House.
