A day to honor our flag
Independence Day is around the corner, but every June 14 another patriotic holiday has been marked since 1916: Flag Day. It celebrates the adoption of the first U.S. flag on June 14, 1777 by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress. Arguably the most iconic rendition of Betsy Ross sewing that first flag is the image above, “Birth of Our Nation’s Flag,” painted by Charles H. Weisgerber in 1892. We see, according to the Library of Congress, “General George Washington seated on the left with Robert Morris, and standing, the Honorable George Ross, and with Betsy Ross seated on the right holding ‘our Nation's Flag.’”
Like so many unique things, there is a Rappahannock connection. The artist is the great grandfather of Sperryville resident Kevin Weisgerber, who shared the story of how his forefather created the painting as part of a competition to be part of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. It was selected to be part of the Pennsylvania exhibition and, after the expo, millions of black and white lithographic versions of the painting were sold across the land. Proceeds allowed a group to purchase and preserve the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia, and in 1898 Charles Weisgerber and his family moved in. A couple of rooms were opened to the public, including where Ross and the flag committee were depicted in the painting. The nearly 300-year-old house has been operated as a museum for generations now, though it has been taking a respite recently due to coronavirus concerns, hopefully welcoming visitors again soon.