Doe and Hope

Description

The soft thin cotton blue ensign flag having a dark blue field with Union flag in he upper canton, dating to the first quarter of the twentieth century, mounted on a wooden pole terminating in a silver painted finial.

The textile is in good aged, as found, condition with a beautiful genuine fade across the fabric, having a fantastic translucent quality. The cotton does not suffer from any holes or tears and the pole and finial are complete.

The Blue Ensign undefaced is worn by masters of vessels in possession of a warrant issued by the Director of Naval Reserves, and by the members of certain yacht clubs. Such warrants are issued to officers in the active or retired lists of the Royal Naval Reserve and the maritime reserve forces of other Commonwealth Realms and territories. The ensign originated in the 17th century with the St George's cross in the canton, and with a blue field background then The Acts of Union 1707 united England, Scotland, and Wales in the Kingdom of Great Britain and produced a new blue ensign which placed the Union Flag in the canton.

Blue ensigns of this vintage are scarcer than that of white or red making this example a desirable one.