$30, by Annin & Co. Flagmakers
Enduring Classic
Old Glory
You're going to be seeing a lot of American flags this week. Chances are, a good deal of them were made by New Jersey's Annin & Co. Flagmakers, the world's oldest and largest flag manufacturer. Originally founded in 1847, the "stars and stripes" were only 70 years old and back in those days, there were just 29 stars. Over the decades, Annin has supplied the flags for nearly every monumental occasion in our country's history (see below). And what's more, they're still crafted with integrity and care from quality materials. These days, the stars are embroidered by computer-guided machines, and the miles of red and white cotton stripes are stitched together mechanically but those components, along with the canvas heading and brass gromets, are all pieced together by the hands of American workers.
Annin's Landmark Moments
Annin makes the flag for Zachary Taylor's inauguration—a tradition that's continued for every US president.
The "great star" flag is sewn by Annin for President Lincoln's funeral. That flag is later draped over President Kennedy's casket.
Robert Peary plants an Annin American flag on the North Pole.
The flag raised over Iwo Jima during WW II was made by Annin.
The National Geographic Society summits Mount Everest with an Annin flag.
Annin's specially-made flag was unfurled on the moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts.
Firemen grab an Annin flag from a nearby yacht and raise it above the rubble at Ground Zero.
- A worker at Annin & Co.'s New Jersey factory sews stripes onto a flag in 1943.
(Photo: Library of Congress)
