Silk flags colorants

The wide variety and variability of elements detected for Identically colored silks suggests, as previously observed, that the methods of coloring these historical flags was not standardized. 

W4 81711W10 64127 Silk repp, 3rd Regiment Q.M. National Color, 36-star flag Red July 1863-July, 1865... 

W7 81745W07 Silk repp, Regimental Colors, 45-star flag, U.S. Reg. of Inf. Red July 4, 1896-July 3, 1908... 

The wide variety and variability of elements detected for identically colored silks immediately suggested that the methods of coloring these historical flags were not at all standardized. Of the three blue specimens, two contained iron, one did not. Of the three red samples, one contained iron, one contained both iron and tin, and one contained neither iron nor tin. The cream samples showed four with iron, one with tin, and three with neither iron nor tin. 

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