Star-Spangled Banner Tartan—THE PAST

A Cloth of Memory

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The Star-Spangled Banner tartan – Past Edition was proudly created by myself, Steven Patrick Sim, The Tartan Artisan®, as a variation of the registered 2021 design. While it shares the same official registration date of July 4th, 2021, this edition is defined by faded, time-worn colours, echoing the Star-Spangled Banner as it survives today in the Smithsonian. It is a commemorative expression, looking back to 1814 and the anthem’s origins, and forward to the 250th anniversary now approaching.

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Tartan Registration Number: #13214

 

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My Inspiration

The idea for a tartan to commemorate the Star-Spangled Banner took root in 2014 during the period when I was inspired to create the Declaration of Scottish Independence tartan — in the run up to the '2014 Scottish Independence Referendum'. That design honoured Scotland’s flags and its 1320 Declaration of Arbroath — a document of freedom that continues to echo across the centuries.

It was at that point I began to imagine a tartan for the United States. A tartan that could honour the Stars and Stripes, carry the echoes of battle, and embody the ideals of liberty. The PAST Edition takes that vision and turns it into cloth: muted tones, softened colours, and a weave that feels as though it has aged along with the history it remembers.

 

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Threads of the Historic Banner

The palette mirrors the passing of centuries, recalling the flag as it would appear after two hundred years of endurance:

• Ember Red — courage and valor that burn on through time

• Scarlet fading to orange embers — the heat of the anthem’s “rockets’ red glare,” now aged by memory

• Mellow Ivory — purity of ideals tested yet unbroken

• Smoky Blue — perseverance under strain, vigilance in the shadows of history
  
  

Across the Sett:

• 15 red and 15 blue threads recall the fifteen stars and stripes of the 1814 Great Garrison Flag
  
• 13 broad ember and ivory stripes honour the original thirteen colonies
  
• 50 smoky threads look forward to the modern Union of fifty states

 

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Anthem Origins Woven In

This design locks the anthem’s birth into the cloth itself:

• Reds and oranges evoke the bombardment of Fort McHenry

• Smoky blues echo the quiet sky that greeted the dawn

• Intersections recall shells bursting in the night, proof the flag endured

“The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun.”

 

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Hidden Symbolism

At the intersections of broad stripes are four subtle white squares. These nod to the four cornerstones of the White House — and to the original cornerstone laid in 1792, which was later lost to history. This mystery is carried forward as a reminder of the Constitution’s survival and the People’s House as a symbol of unity.

 

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Smithsonian Connection

The tartan’s name and authenticity are tied to the Star-Spangled Banner flag held by the Smithsonian Institution:

• 20 red threads mark the year 2020 when permission was first sought to use the name

• Approval was granted April 22nd, 2021

• Registration was completed July 4th, 2021

This anchors the design to a preserved American treasure.

Note: no endorsement by the Smithsonian Institution is implied.

 

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A Summary of the Rationale

Design Inspiration & Heritage

• Tribute to the 1814 flag that inspired the anthem

• Registered July 4, 2021 as a Semiquincentennial remembrance

• Connects American endurance with Scotland’s ideals of liberty

Symbolism of Colors

• Ember Red: Enduring courage

• Scarlet/Orange: Energy of battle aged by time

• Mellow Ivory: Purity under trial

• Smoky Blue: Vigilance and perseverance

Thread Counts & Structure

• 15 red and 15 blue threads = 1814 Great Garrison Flag

• 13 broad stripes = original colonies

• 50 smoky threads = modern fifty states

• Intersections = drama of the anthem’s night

Hidden Symbolism

• Four white squares = White House cornerstones and constitutional strength

 

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Smithsonian Permission & Registrations

• Conception date: September 14, 2014

• Permission granted by Smithsonian in 2020 to register the tartan name

• Twenty red threads mark this milestone

• Official registration: July 4, 2021

• Tartan registration #: #13214

• UK Registered Designs: #6104320 (Color), #6147549 (Pattern)

• USPTO Patent Pending: #29/800,256

• Registered Trademark: #UK00003667073

 

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Collectible Fine Art Print Offer

The PAST Edition Star-Spangled Banner Tartan is available as a collectible fine art print — a quiet tribute to the banner that endured.

• FRAMED: Museum-grade archival paper with oak-finish frame

• UNFRAMED: Rolled and shipped in archival tubes

• Offered in collector and standard sizes

A meaningful keepsake or gift — a textile echo of America’s resilience.

Secure your fine art print today and honor America’s story as it reaches its 250th year of independence.

 

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The Past — A Story Woven in Time

At dawn on September 14th, 1814, smoke drifted above Fort McHenry. The flag that survived the bombardment was worn and heavy, but still visible through the haze — a declaration to a young nation: we endure.

That flag sparked a song. Francis Scott Key, witnessing the fight, found proof in that banner that the nation lived on. His words became an anthem, and the flag became the Star-Spangled Banner.

The Past Edition of this tartan carries that moment forward. Ember reds like the last glow of battle fires, mellow ivory for ideals that would not break, smoky blues for perseverance at dawn.

Its weave remembers:

• Fifteen stars and stripes of the garrison flag

• Thirteen colonies that declared independence

• Fifty states that would rise in time

It is more than a pattern. It is memory: rockets in the night sky, smoke on the dawn air, and a people’s endurance stitched into cloth.

The four quiet white squares whisper of the White House’s cornerstone mystery and of a Constitution that holds firm.

And with its tie to the Smithsonian’s treasured flag, this tartan stands not as decoration, but as a bridge — from the anthem’s fiery birth to the present day.

The Past Edition Star-Spangled Banner tartan is a woven remembrance of resilience, sacrifice, and the enduring hope that defines America’s story.