Description:
Exceptional Civil War–era Louisiana pelican flag fragment featuring the iconic “Pelican in Her Piety” emblem, one of the most important and recognizable symbols associated with the State of Louisiana and with Louisiana troops during the early period of the American Civil War.

The surviving fragment preserves the central portion of the pelican device, depicting a large white pelican with wings fully extended feeding her young in a nest below, set against a deep blue field. The pelican’s breast displays the traditional red drops symbolizing sacrifice, a historic element of Louisiana heraldry. Three chicks appear in the nest below, rendered in painted pigments applied directly to blue wool bunting, the standard flag fabric of the Civil War period.

The fragment retains a substantial portion of the central device with an approximate wingspan of 17 inches, along with the surrounding blue field. Handwritten letters “LA F.” appear on the fabric below the emblem. Pelican flags of this type are historically associated with Louisiana volunteer forces and early war military units, prior to the widespread adoption of standardized Confederate battle flags. These flags were typically locally produced and issued in small numbers, and surviving examples are exceedingly scarce.

According to the accompanying conservation report from Textile Preservation Associates, Inc., dated November 22, 2008, the textile fragment is constructed of blue wool bunting with the pelican device applied in colored pigments. The report documents professional conservation including cleaning, humidification, flattening, stabilization, and archival mounting.

The fragment is now preserved within a museum-style pressure mount frame fitted with ultraviolet-filtering acrylic glazing, designed to protect the historic textile while allowing for safe display.

Civil War pelican flags are among the most distinctive and desirable Southern military flags, representing Louisiana’s unique iconography and early wartime identity. Surviving fragments of such banners are rare and highly sought after by collectors of Civil War artifacts, American historical textiles, and vexillology.

Dimensions:
Flag fragment approximately 21 1/2 in x 21 in
Framed dimensions H:25in W:26in 

Condition:
Fragmentary textile with wear consistent with age and historical use. Edges are cut and slightly unraveled with visible fold lines from earlier storage. Colors remain strong overall. Professionally conserved and mounted for preservation.

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