American Civil War: First Confederate Flag

The first flag of independence raised in the South, by the citizens of Savannah, Ga. November 8th, 1860. Drawn by Henry Cleenewerck, Savannah, Ga.; lithographed by R.H. Howell, Savannah, Ga.

Created in 1860

To quote the Library of Congress' description:

A view of the public meeting in Johnson Square, Savannah, prompted by news of Lincoln's election, where a resolution was adopted for a state secession convention. In the nocturnal scene, the square is crowded with animated spectators surrounding an obelisk, where a banner emblazoned with the image of a coiled rattlesnake and the words "Our Motto Southern Rights, Equality of the States, Don't Tread on Me" is displayed. The scene is lit by fireworks and a bonfire. The old City Exchange building is visible beyond the monument. Unlike copies of the print described in "The Confederate Image" and "Citizens in Conflict," the Library's impression of this image was printed from only one stone (black). It is inscribed in the lower left margin area: "Presented by Jos Prendergast to John Devereaux Nov 1860. J. P. helped to make the above Banner and himself painted the lettering thereon."

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Well, this wasn't too bad of a restoration, 6 hours or so? Possibly surprising when the original image looks like this: [link] It was obviously not well stored in its early days - lots of scratches, scrapes, stains, and cracks where it had been folded. Possibly not unexpected for a confederate work that made its way to Washington, D.C.

Source was the Library of Congress [link] which offers all their scans without claiming copyright ( and can't claim copyright, anyway, see [link] ) The original image, dating from 1860, is rather obviously out of copyright.