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Maker unknown; 1776-1800; Cloth, paint, wood; Gift of Constance McCann Betts, Helena Woolworth Guest, and Fraiser W McCann, 1942.2761.

Sleeper’s “Pine Tree Flag” from 1776 flew aboard one of George Washington’s squadron of cruisers. The designer prized colonial American artifacts like this one, and scattered images of Washington throughout his home. The pine tree held local significance as well, both as an Indigenous political symbol and sign of New England’s colonial resistance. The flag’s placement at Beauport also points to Sleeper’s sense of humor. Suspended in the home’s most compressed vertical space, the 1911 Book Tower, its motto, “WE APPEAL TO HEAVEN,” takes on new meaning.