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31 Star Flag - (1851-1858) (U.S.)

image by Clay Moss, 15 February 2007

Description of the flag
Jack
1853 Commodore M.C. Perry in Japan
Great Star
Trumbull
Scattered Canton Design
Douglas / Johnson Campaign Banner
31 Star Flag flown on old courthouse c1850
Wandering Stars Medallion Canton
Four-point stars design

See also:

Description of the flag

In 1851, one star was added, representing California, bringing the total number of stars to 31. There were thirteen stripes representing the thirteen original colonies.
Rick Wyatt, 5 April 1998

This flag flew from 4 July, 1851, to 3 July, 1858.
Clay Moss, 15 February 2007

Jack

image by Clay Moss, 15 February 2007

1853 Commodore M.C. Perry in Japan

image by Matthew White, 6 March 2002

In the book Jumbo's Hide, Elvis's Ride, and the Tooth of Buddha by Harvey Rachlin (a history of artifacts), I saw a photo of the 31-star flag flown by Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry in Japan in 1853. The flag is in the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, and it measures 41x64 inches. There's a smaller photo of it on navy website.
Matthew White, 6 March 2002

See also Commodore Perry from the War of 1812 (elder brother of M.C.Perry)

Great Star

image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001

This brilliant "Great Star" flag was edged with black crape on the occasion of Lincoln's funeral. This was not removed and the flag served again in this guise for the mourning of the other assassinated American presidents, including that of President Kennedy.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001

Trumbell

image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001

This flag was used by the Navy during the War of Independence. The basic format of this flag, with the large single star in the middle, was used from around 1778 to 1880. This version is from the 1850s. This design is based on the square canton flags as recorded by the painter John Trumbull in his historic canvases, "The Surrender at Saratoga", 1778, and "The Surrender at Yorktown", 1781.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 27 July 2001

Scattered Canton Design

image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 24 October 2001

This thirty-one star flag is of the "scatter" pattern, with the stars seemingly thrown haphazard on the blue field, forming a scintillating constellation.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 24 October July 2001

Douglas / Johnson Campaign Banner

image by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 22 December 2005

This thirty-one star flag is a Stephen A. Douglas and Herschel V. Johnson campaign banner -1858. The flag apparently had some lettering in the form of a long sentence or sentences written vertically in black, taking up three lines through the red & white stripes, just in the middle area from the canton to the fly edge. Douglas was reelected in 1958 while running against Lincoln.
Blas Delgado Ortiz, 22 December 2005

31 Star Flag flown on old courthouse c1850

image by Pete Loeser, 1 June 2018

I found this flag in the Calaveras County Museum (San Andreas, California). The First Courthouse building in Calaveras County (made of camphor panels that were shipped from China because of the lack of wood locally), was constructed in 1850, making it one of the oldest surviving structure once used as a courthouse in California. California was admitted as a state in 1850. What was interesting to me was the flag displayed with the small courthouse was an apparent 31 Star flag with a concentric circle design (the stars arranged with one in the center and two concentric rings of stars and one in each corner). This star pattern later became popular on many Civil War flags.
Pete Loeser, 1 June 2018

Wandering Stars Medallion Canton

image located by William Garrison, 12 July 2025

Source: https://www.ebay.com/itm/356808408893

A U.S. 31-star flag with a disorderly "wandering stars medallion" canton, with the larger, center star allegedly representing the admission of California as a state into the U.S.; c. after late 1850.

William Garrison, 12 July 2025

Four-point stars design

image located by William Garrison, 28 May 2026

Source: https://historical.ha.com

Caption from catalogue: " A rare 31-star American flag measuring approximately 36-1/2" x 68", dating to the period following California's admission in 1850. Entirely hand-sewn of cotton, it is distinguished by an unusual radiant pattern of four-pointed stars of varying sizes, a highly uncommon and visually striking design. Equally notable is its highly irregular construction, featuring 14 stripes rather than the expected 13. The flag begins on a white stripe, and the canton rests on a red stripe, a feature often referred to as the "war stripe," an uncommon trait that is especially sought after by collectors for its rarity and visual impact. The design is present on one side only, indicating that the flag was intended for wall display rather than outdoor use."
William Garrison, 28 May 2026