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New Mexico's First Flag (U.S.)

image by Josh Fruhlinger, 12 February 1996

Description
The '47' on the flag

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Description

From 1912 until 1915, the state had no flag. For the San Diego World's Fair, somebody designed a dark blue banner with a tacked-on desk-size us-48 and crudely embroidered "New Mexico -- 47" in silver thread. It was about 18" (50 cm) wide and hung down from a stick. I just noticed that one image shows the original state flag on a stubby pole ... this is incorrect. I have seen the thing, and it's hung from a horizontal stick at the top, not flown from a pole or staff.

Only one of these was made ... and it hung on the wall of an exhibit hall at the 1915 World's Fair in San Diego. In fact, it was put together for that exhibit, and never actually *flew* anywhere. The lettering was cleaned up a bit for the GIF. The round item in the lower right corner is the state seal, with the two eagles. The original color of the flag's background was a deep blue, but it has faded to a blue-gray.
Bill Dunning, 16 July 1998

The '47' on the flag

The "47" denotes New Mexico's entrance into the Union as the 47th state.
Josh Fruhlinger, 12 February 1996