Ship Flag 1815

This is a ship flag, made anonymously and held at the Rijksmuseum, comprised of three horizontal bars of fabric, stitched together. What strikes me immediately is the sheer amount of labor that went into creating this object, and the social context that would have enabled it. This flag is an example of plain weave, one of the most fundamental structures in textile production. The horizontal and vertical yarns interlace in a simple, regular sequence. Yet it would have taken considerable time and skill to produce this amount of fabric. We can see the effect of wear and tear – rips, fading – revealing the story of its life at sea. This is not just a flag; it’s a testament to the collective effort required to outfit and operate a ship, and a reminder of the human stories woven into the fabric of maritime history. Approaching it from a material perspective allows us to appreciate the labor and resources invested in its creation, and the wider social implications of maritime trade and exploration.