Great Star Flags

One of the most sought after star patterns on American flags is the "Grand Luminary" or "Great Star" pattern, which consists of the smaller stars being arranged to form one great star on the canton.  The pattern was designed by Captain Samuel Chester Reid of the United States Navy in 1818.  The task set upon by Captain Reid was to design a pattern that would allow for increasing the number of stars on the flag, yet maintain a common distinctive pattern on the flag.  While the concept was intriguing and resulted in some of the most interesting and beautiful flags known today, the design was not officially adopted by Congress.  Great Star patterns were made from the early 19th century, and were a favorite design during the Civil War, but their use tapered off following the Civil War as the star counts began to make even the Great Star unwieldy, and they all but disappeared from manufacture by the late 19th century.