Roughly 15x 22. Not exact. Guaranteed old and original

This is a vintage advertising pennant (or small banner) for Harvard Clipper Ale. The gold fabric piece features the brewery’s flag-with-“H” logo inside a starburst, the slogan “FOLLOW THIS FLAG TO FLAVOR,” and the brand name in script and block lettering, with fringe along the bottom and a wooden dowel at the top.

Background

• The Harvard Brewing Company (originally Consumers Brewing Co., renamed Harvard in 1898) was a major New England brewery in Lowell, MA. It operated from the 1890s until Prohibition, then reopened after repeal in 1933 and continued until 1956 (with periods under government control during WWII due to foreign ownership issues, and later as Merrimack Brewing). 

• Clipper Ale was a strong, bitter ale introduced in late 1937 as a replacement for their Double Ale. A company letterhead dated November 18, 1937 announced it would be available starting November 22 in draught and bottles, describing it as “strong, bitter, sturdy” and linked to the image of famous clipper ships. 

• The exact slogan and flag logo on your pennant match promotional items such as serving trays from the late 1930s–1940s that advertise Harvard Ale, Export Beer, Clipper Ale, and Porter with “Follow this flag to flavor” and “New England’s Master Brewers.” Labels for Clipper Ale are commonly dated around 1940. 

These fabric pennants were common bar and retail advertising pieces of the era—durable, eye-catching displays for taverns, liquor stores, or the brewery itself. The design and materials are consistent with pre- and early postwar American breweriana rather than later decades.

It’s a solid piece of New England beer advertising history from the period when Harvard was actively promoting its post-Prohibition lineup (including the Clipper Ale brand that ran into the 1950s). The brewery’s site in Lowell was later redeveloped.