The Whipple Flag

The Whipple Flag

Wayne Whipple, the Patriot Series and the Peace Flag

Although mostly known for his literary work, his design of the Whipple Flag is quite interesting. In 1912 he submitted an entry to a nationwide contest. The contest was to find the flag that most represented American history. Whipple submitted a flag which he named the Whipple Peace Flag. It was in tribute to the global peace movement which preceded World War I. Of the more than 500 flags submitted, Whipple's won.

The design of Whipple's flag reveals a centrally located six pointed 13 star group representing the 13 original colonies surrounded by a large circle made up of the remaining 35 stars. The stripes are similar to other American flags.

Although it was a contest winner, it never caught on. It is just a blip on the memory screen today. It can however still be seen on one of Whipple's book covers. In the three volume Patriotic Series published by Henry Altemus Company. (http://henryaltemus.com/series/series139.htm) The first book "The Story of the American Flag" was published in 1910. The first edition of this book has a picture of the American flag on it. The later editions of this title have a picture of the Whipple Peace Flag.