Apr 12, 2018 - Sale 2473

Sale 2473 - Lot 60

Price Realized: $ 7,500
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 500 - $ 750
(CIVIL WAR.) "If any man attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot." Oil paint in red and gold on wood, 11 1/2 x 32 inches and almost one inch thick; numerous scratches and areas of wear not affecting legibility, one drop of later white paint above "down" and a bit more along the bottom edge, top mount area broken off, 2 square nails and 2 square nail holes on outer edges, early mounting wire screwed to verso. Np, circa late 19th century

Additional Details

This sign bears a famous quotation from Treasury Secretary John A. Dix from an official order he issued on 29 January 1861. Though issued in relation to the specific case of a revenue cutter threatened by secessionists, it became a general rallying cry for Union loyalists in the early months of the war.
The paint and square nails on this sign seem consistent with a late 19th century production date. The pattern of paint on the bottom edge suggests that it may have been mounted across the head of a doorway. It seems plausible that this sign was mounted at the entrance of a Grand Army of the Republic post; several G.A.R. posts were named after Dix, including New York's John A. Dix Post #135 in Manhattan. Provenance: fresh to market from an old collection in Long Island, NY.