Revolutionary War flag is the oldest American object in space

A joint exhibition titled “From a Revolutionary War Flag to the Statue of Liberty” opened on Tuesday at the National Museum of American History, showcasing a 1776 militia banner alongside a scaled replica of the iconic statue. Curated by the museum’s American Symbolism Department, the display runs through October 15 and is part of a broader effort to trace the evolution of national imagery from the founding era to the modern period. The flag, identified as the “Saratoga Standard” after extensive textile analysis, was recovered from a private collection and restored by the museum’s conservation team before being placed on view.

The exhibit pairs the flag with a 3‑meter bronze replica of the Statue of Liberty, commissioned in 2023 to commemorate the monument’s 140th anniversary. Interpretive panels detail the flag’s role in rallying colonial forces and the statue’s symbolism of immigration and liberty, highlighting how both objects have been employed in political discourse over two centuries. Museum officials anticipate that the juxtaposition will draw visitors interested in the continuity of American iconography and provide educational resources for school groups studying the nation’s visual heritage.