Happy 4th of July – A Little Star Spangled Banner History from the Smithsonian
July 4th Weekend, 2016
Los Angeles, California
This photo of the Star Spangled Banner taken in 1914
Happy July 4th weekend to ALL.
Wanted to share an interesting historical article from the Smithsonian Magazine on Francis Scott Key’s writing of the Star Spangled Banner and the making of the flag that was “still there.”
“The Story Behind the Star Spangled Banner,” written for the Smithsonian.com by Cate Lineberry provides not only the story of how Francis Scott Key wrote the poem, but also the history of the flag. Excellent article. Easy reading. No bun or BBQ sauce needed. Perfect as is. See link above or click on PDF below.
Steve, I’ve seen the Star Spangled Banner at the Smithsonian recently, and it’s definitely a very delicate display.
Back in the 70’s, it was displayed vertically in a main entrance, with a scrim that would block viewing for all but about 10 minutes per hour.
Now, it’s recumbent on a slightly tilted surface in a very dark isolated space, illuminated by blue LEDs that give just enough light to see the flag.
Its in very bad shape, (as your photo shows,) and they had to do something drastic to prevent any further decay. You can see the flag is made of very coarse material, which is why it’s survived to this day.
Still, it’s just about gone.