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This pair of prints feature the merchant flags of maritime countries as they appeared and were in use around the turn of the century when these prints were designed and produced. Included are twenty-four total countries--twelve on each print. The colors are vivid.
*Of particular interest in this pair of plates are the flags of Sweden, Norway, and Portugal. Both Sweden and Norway have the union mark in the canton, representing the union of those two nations. Norway reverted to its traditional design (without the union mark) in 1899 for terrestrial use, with the exception of war ships, wherein it was required that the flag with the union mark in the canton be flown instead, until the formal dissolution of the union with Sweden in 1905. Sweden, on the other hand, kept the union mark on its flag (both national and war) until late in 1905, when it, too, reverted to its prior design without the union mark.
Portugal's use of the blue and white design with the coat of arms continued until June 1911, when the blue and white were replaced by green and red, the crown was removed, and the armillary symbol restored.
For comparison, see my store for other versions of the flags printed around this time period, including various versions of the Swedish, Norwegian, Portugese, and Chinese flags, all of which underwent changes during the first 20 years of the 20th century.
Each illustration, dated 1903 in the plate, was exquisitely printed by the Julius Bien & Company in New York City, one of the most prestigious lithographers of the early 20th Century. The 1903 illustrations were printed for inclusion in a fine set of reference material published between 1903 and 1905.
Printed on medium-weight paper, the overall sheet size of each print is just over 7" x 9.75", and the printed portion (including the text above and below) is 5" x 8.75" (the narrow printed border is 5" x 8", text excluded), with blank margins of 1/4" - 1" all the way around to allow easy matting and framing. This pair could be framed either together in a double-windowed mat and a single large frame, or individually matted and framed as two separate, smaller pieces.
These prints are true stone chromolithographs, with the distinctive saturated color and depth. They are very attractive works, with special attention to detail and accurate hue, and are well-printed.
I've matted and framed several of these, and they look very nice. Please check my store for other similar historical prints perfect for framing or incorporating into other projects.
A Note on Lithography: One of the delightful and interesting results of the engraving and ink transfer process in lithography is that there can be variants of the prints which look slightly different when compared side-by-side, even though they were produced by the same engraved plates on the same press. This may be a result of additional passes by one color or another, subtle differences in the ink tone, varying pressure from the pressing of the plates, slight variation in the position of each color plate, or other choices made by the engravers or the printers. The result is that each print's appearance is truly unique.
Below are cropped views of each sheet--without full margins. The images are a fairly accurate representation of the prints.
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