Rare 1910s Antique Cigar Felt Flag Quilt - 48-Star Americana & World Flags - 72" x 81"

Provenance:
This quilt is part of the Quilt Index (#49-142-5067) and, according to a tag on the back, was added to the index by the Museum of American Folk Art in 1989 as part of the New York Quilt Project (PLAT-22). The quilt comes from Elizabethtown, New York and was made around 1915 from cigar flag felts collected by a neighbor of the maker.

This is an extraordinary piece of "Tobacciana" folk art. Between roughly 1910 and 1916, tobacco companies (most notably the American Tobacco Company) included small, colorful napped cotton flannels—popularly known as "cigar felts"—inside cigar boxes and cigarette packs as collectible premiums.  The flags on this quilt include a 48-star American flag, the flags of Imperial Russia, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, South Australia, Japan, the Kingdom of Greece (1863-1924), Switzerland, the National Flag of Spain (1785-1931), and dozens more.

These were marketed to appeal to wives so they would encourage their husbands to stay loyal to a particular cigar or cigarette brand. The goal was to collect enough of these tiny (generally 5"x7") "rugs" to sew into pillow tops, table runners, or, in rare cases like this, a full-sized bed quilt. Because production ceased around 1917 due to wartime textile shortages, these pieces occupy a very specific, narrow window of American history.

Dating:
This quilt is a something of a "time capsule" of the pre-WWI era. The assembly of this quilt can be dated to circa 1912–1918 based on some historical markers:
• The 48-Star American Flag: Official from 1912 to 1959.
• Flags of Imperial Russia & Austria-Hungary: The presence of these specific imperial flags places the quilt firmly before the geopolitical shifts of 1917 and 1918.

The quilt is hand-tied (not quilted) and has a three-sided mocha/blue/tan geometric cotton-flannel border. The same cotton-flannel is used for the back while the edges have been finished in an envelope or knife-edge finish then hand-stitched closed. The cotton batting is medium weight.

Condition: Excellent antique condition. The colors remain incredibly punchy and vibrant, with very little of the fading typically seen in century-old textiles.

Details:
• Size: Generous 72" x 81"
• Method: This is a "tied" quilt, secured with vibrant green yarn/floss rather than traditional stitching, which was the preferred method for managing the heavy, soft flannel layers.

The quilt comes from a smoke-free, pet-free home and is pictured on a queen-size bed. There is a display sleeve sewn onto one side of the back (the side without the border).