Fate of the Rebel Flag

William Bauly's 1861 patriotic painting, Fate of the Rebel Flag, depicts a Civil War ship burning in a calm sea, with the flames of the fire forming the red, white, and blue flag of the Confederacy.

According to the Library of Congress: "Fate of the Rebel Flag resembles its companion piece, Our Heaven Born Banner, in format, coloring, and its militantly Unionist theme. In a spectacular nocturnal scene, a large warship sinks and burns on a calm sea littered with debris. The flames take on the configuration of the red, white, and blue flag of the Confederacy, the blue field with seven stars being formed by the night sky showing through the flames. Lightning strikes the flag from the upper left."

Artist: William Bauly
Date: 1861
Original medium: Lithograph
Orientation: Horizontal/Landscape
Image enhanced by Rebel Seed Studio