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RICHARD R. GIDEON FLAGS

"The Artist at Work"

THE FLAG AS ART
The story of artwork performed in the USA by RRGF
 

Artist: Katherine Feuhrer Gideon 		3rd UNITED STATES COLORED TROOPS

     The process of creating a work of art on flag fabric is tedious and exacting.  The material for the flag shown at left is 100% hand-spun silk, a fabric that bleeds profusely.  The flag is draped over a special Masonite backing which has been buffered with non-acidic paper.  There are two approaches we take to artwork.  One is to produce the artwork freehand, and the other is to take a computer scan of the picture of the original flag, enlarge it, and use the enlargement as a template.

 

     In this picture the seal of the 17th Ohio Infantry Regimental color is sketched on special paper.  This flag is a 1/3 scale size flag that will be framed.  The original flag is in poor condition, but an artists sketch was provided by the housing facility (the Ohio Historical Society).  The drawing will be transferred to silk.  In cases where the detail is obscure, the original artist's sketch will be compared with the original flag photo, and an interpellation will be made.

 

     Here is the flag of the 19th Indiana Volunteers.  This flag represents a combination of textile appliqués and painted artwork.  The eagle and shield were appliquéd by the material vender.  The artwork, which includes the "ribbon" in the eagle's mouth as well as the bric-a-brac below the unit designation, is painted by RRGF.
     This flag was ordered in polyester, which is tougher to paint than silk.  The original flag is missing material in some critical areas.  For example, the I and N in IND VOL'S is gone.  By inspecting the remaining letters a rendering of the missing originals will be made and inserted in the proper area.  This flag is demanding, in that the bric-a-brac is not only very thin and convoluted, but is shaded as well.   
 

      
Shown here is the development of the Virginia state flag of 1861.  The flag is wool, but the seal is cotton.  
An original seal was used as the starting point.  
 

     Would you believe that the seal shown at left was produced by hand?  A preliminary sketch was made on paper and then transferred directly to a cotton seal.  The resulting cartoon was painted with specially selected fabric paints.  Once the paint dries it is heat treated.  Should it become dirty, the entire flag - intricate artwork included - may be washed in mild soap.

     This is the canton of the 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, 152nd Infantry, painted by Katherine Feuhrer Gideon.  The material is 100% silk taffeta, and the paints are acrylic fabric paints.  The painting was copied from a color picture provided by the Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee museum in Harrisburg, PA.  Note the realism of the ocean scene.  Each painting is a work of art that you'll be proud to own.  We take whatever time is necessary to achieve quality results.  All USA artwork and/or MUSEUM grade flags are commissioned without regard to deadline.  RRGF also abides by the rules of the museum housing facility.  Museums may require some deviation from the original in order to protect their collections from fraud.  
     A typical project involves a flag body made FOR RRGF, and USA artwork performed BY RRGF.  Period material flags are made in the USA.  Museum grade fabric is supplied by various US antique fabric suppliers; in some cases we import fabric for museum grade jobs, if it is appropriate to do so.