Our Banner in the Sky

Painted in 1861 by Frederic Edwin Church, Our Banner in the Sky was an artistic response to the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, which sparked the Civil War.

The artwork depicts the glow of a rich orange/red sunrise and a star-filled deep blue sky peeking through the clouds representing the stars-and-stripes of an American Flag, as it waves on a leafless tree "flagpole". An eagle soars above the patriotic banner.

The artist chose to depict the flag in the heavens, and with the North Star shining brightest, to symbolize his belief that the Union was guided by a higher power and purpose.

Artist: Frederic Edwin Church
Date: 1861
Location: South Carolina
Original medium: Oil paint over lithograph on paper, laid down on cardboard
Orientation: Horizontal/Landscape
Image restored & enhanced by Rebel Seed Studio