As Americans’ relationship with their flag evolved over two centuries, so too did their attitudes about using it as part of their clothing. This fascinating analysis and description of the changing opinions and styles of flag-wear in the United States traces its ups and downs from the Revolutionary era to today.

Phaleristics—the study of medals—provides an opportunity to explore the rich connections between medals and heraldry and flags. This article begins with the Crusades and traces many examples of flags whose colors, designs, or symbols ultimately derive from or influence the medals awarded by orders of knighthood and merit, and civil and military decorations.

When Canada entered the war as a dominion of the British Empire, the question of “under what flag would her troops fight?” resulted in a significant proposal which not only went into battle, it would influence the debate twenty years later over the design of the new national flag. This article draws on the archives of the Department of National Defence illuminate the history of that glorious flag.

When Association member and flag dealer Hugh Warner approached his congressman about his customers’ problems with homeowners associations limiting flag display, Congress promptly passed an act prohibiting such restrictions. That act and its legal history receive an interesting and thorough discussion and analysis.

The flag of the East India Company has been frequently cited as a possible precursor to the U.S. flag, in part based on an engraving showing it flying in Philadelphia Harbor in 1754. This incisive and well-researched analysis demonstrates that in decorating a view of the city, the artist simply lifted an image of a “Bombay Grab” from an earlier engraving—the ship and flag were never in America.

Oregon’s flag, the only state flag with a different image on its reverse, uses the escutcheon from the state seal and the beaver as its primary design elements. This article, by a native Oregonian, explores the origins of the seal in the 19th century and the flag in the 20th century.

The Chinese post office used flags to mark its facilities—buildings and vehicles—during an era when it served as one of the only unifying institutions in an otherwise fractured nation ruled by factions, warlords, and quasi-states. From the “Flying Goose” to the “automatic canceller mark”, its flag designs invoked speed, loyalty, and reliability.

When the Argentine flag flew briefly over the California port town of Monterey in 1818, it represented not conquest but rather a call to join the Americas-wide revolt against Spanish rule. This article explains the full and complex story behind Captain Hippolyte de Bouchard’s actions.

The Association’s 2006 publication of its flag-design manual Good Flag, Bad Flag inspired a lengthy analysis and critique of its meaning, importance, and limitations, arguing for a more expansive view of flag design. This paper received the Driver Award in 2007.