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# 1844, Henry Clay Campaign flags (U.S.)

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Last modified: 2026-04-25 by rick wyatt
Keywords: united states | presidential campaign flags |
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image located by William Garrison, 5 April 2024

- Description of the flag
- More examples

See also:

- Presidential campaign flags
- Political parties and movements
- United States of America

## Description of the flag

Commentary from Heritage Auctions: "Henry Clay: Wonderful Coon & Fox Campaign Flag. 29.25" x 26.75" silk flag, unlisted in Threads, titled "The Same Old Coon Henry Clay and Frelinghuysen". The central illustration features a cartoon of a Whig coon skinning a Democratic fox, suspended from a tree limb by the counterweight of a subtreasury strongbox. The United States Capitol appears in the background with a "Clay" flag flying overhead. The caption reads: "Martin Was Tried... And Found Guilty Of Sinning. The Coons Then Decreed To Give Him A Skinning"; c. Nov. 1844. His campaign was unsuccessful, he was defeated by James Polk. {Notes: "coon" is a shortened word for "racoon", "Whig" was a political party, and "Martin" refers to former U.S. Pres. Martin Van Buren.} (Photo credit: Heritage Auctions.]

William Garrison, 5 April 2024

## More examples

image located by William Garrison, 5 June 2024

An 1844 Henry Clay portrait presidential campaign flag reading "CLAY" on the top white stipe, "FRELINCHUYSEN" on the second top white stripe, faint "MARKLE" on the middle white stripe, "AND" on the third-to-the-bottom white stripe, and "PROTECTIVE TARIFF" on the second-to-the-bottom white stripe. Blue canton with a printed portrait of Clay surrounded by a laurel wreath and a circle of 22 stars, with an additional star at each corner (26 total for each state in the Union). (Seen in Hake book.) Note from the Ebay ad: "The conservation was executed by Virginia Whelan of Filaments conservation service in Merion station, Pennsylvania. She has done textiles for many museums.... With reference to mounting, here is a cut-and-paste from her report: A padded mount was made with a sealed wooden strainer with crossbars that was covered with Coroplast boards and a layer of polyester batting covered with 100% cotton cover. The cotton was secured to the back of the mount with BEVA film. The flag was positioned on the mount. Stitching was applied on all four sides to secure it to the mount." Other commentary about this flag: "A grand vestige of the Whig party advocating the presidential candidacy of Senator Henry Clay [KY] and his vice-presidential running mate: Theodore Frelinghuysen [NJ]. Included on the flag is the Whig gubernatorial candidate for Pennsylvania [PA], Joseph Markle, and the party's promotion of the Tariff of 1842, a protectionist act that raised tariff rates on foreign goods to almost 40%." (credit at: https://www.jamescumminsbookseller.com)
William Garrison, 5 June 2024

image located by William Garrison, 26 March 2026

Source: https://historical.ha.com/itm/political
A U.S. 1844 "Clay and Frelinghuysen" presidential campaign flag; 25" x 26" cotton flag with sepia-tone portrait of Clay in the canton and surrounded by 26 stars. Finished on two sides. Printed in red, black, brown and blue
William Garrison, 26 March 2026