Star spangled banners – Flags on display in Austin, TX
In a previous post on the wonderful exhibits to be seen at The Bullock Texas State History Museum , I looked at the fascinating display of the hull and artefacts from the 17th century wreck of La Belle . In this post, I want to touch on their display of American flags . While the modern American flag has a ubiquitous presence – even to Europeans – in our news coverage, movies, TV shows, and social media, I’ve never really given much thought to its history and development. Well, that changed once I stepped into the Museum’s vexillology display. In part, my fascination with this exhibition stems from having lived so long in Northern Ireland, where flags and emblems have been a contentious issue and the past continues to intrude on the present. I’m not going to attempt to give you a complete history of the American flag – you can read the rather good Wiki article on it yourself. Instead, I merely intend to share some of my pedestrian photos of these beautiful and historic flags. En...