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James Van Kirk's World Peace Flag

image by Randy Young, 9 June 2015

See also:

"World Peace Flag" or "World Flag", created by Methodist pastor James Van Kirk, adopted in 1913 by the Universal Peace Congress (Photo of Van Kirk at the flagstaff | source).

From the commercial website flagguys.com:

"Created by James Van Kirk, a Methodist minister from Youngstown, OH, who took it around the world twice between
WWI and WWII to promote the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God. He felt it was his life's mission to make
the design known to nations and give it to mankind as a sign from God. The Universal Peace Congress adopted the flag
in 1913.

He wrote that the design came to him by revelation from God as he thought what design and colors a world flag would
have. It could not be left to man but would be found in natural law or be provided by God. The color laws of light
furnish an appropriate basis for a world flag. The white light of the sun in passing through drops of rain forms the
rainbow. The reunited colors produce white as seen in the band on the globe. The colors symbolize many nations, races,
languages and sects. It also shows there is a harmony and brotherhood among the variations of the human family. They
flow together producing a band of white encircling the earth as they represent the nations and peoples cooperating to
make peace. The band of white, representing truth, brotherhood, harmony and peace will widen, as nations are more
fraternal. Blue field represents the heavens suggesting we are all embraced in universal law and truth. Stars represent
Nations."

Martin Karner, 18 August 2024

The flag image of Van Kirk's "World Peace Flag" was first published in color in the 1913 American Flag Co. of New York City Catalog (p. 145). The flag was first discussed in print in that year as noted. Van Kirk first proposed the flag in 1912 to his local branch of the World Peace Society in Youngstown, Ohio and presented it to the Peace Palace at The Hague established by Andrew Carnegie the following year. He published a booklet International Color Bearers: Their Ideals, Objects and Ensign (self published, Youngstown OH; 1917) that provided color and line illustrations of the flag and discussed many aspects of his thoughts regarding the flag and its intended usage. However, Van Kirk continued to promote the flag at least until 1921, having proposed it as the flag of the League of Nations in 1919. The last news clipping of the flag I could find is dated 30 July 1921 in The Daily Register of Richmond, Kentucky. There may be later reports.
His original flag and papers are preserved in Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Swarthmore College (http://www.swarthmore.edu/library/peace).
Anyone interested in pursuing research about peace flags please contact me vex@vexman.net and I will gladly send you hundreds of digital items dated between 1861 and 1939 regarding peace, international and other such flags. I would hope such research results in a comprehensive paper on this subject that can be published in any number of journals for future research to build upon.
Dave Martucci, 19 August 2024

image located by Martin Karner
Explanation of the flag and its colours by James Van Kirk (source).