When William Henry Harrison ran for the office of president in 1840, the Whig candidate ran on a platform of economic rejuvenation backed up by his service as a war hero in the Battle of Tippecanoe against Tecumseh and his Shawnee tribesmen in 1811. This event gave Harrison his political credibility, with his campaign slogan in the 1840 election the catchy “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too”.

Presented here is a stunning silk “The Hero of Tippecanoe” portrait flag from Harrison’s campaign of 1840. Running as a Whig, Harrison attacked the incumbent president Martin Van Buren for presiding over a period of economic instability, derisively referring to Van Buren as Martin “Van Ruin”. Harrison was elected by an electoral college landslide (234 to 60), however he only won the popular vote by six points and a total of less than 150,000 votes. Tragically, the 68-year old Harrison contracted pneumonia shortly after his inauguration and became the first sitting president to die in office, after serving a term of only 30 days.

This highly desirable political relic measures 22.5 x 14 inches and features a large blue square in the center. A portrait of Harrison is printed in the middle along with the text “Thames”, “Tippecanoe”, and “William Henry Harrison”. The edges of the flag are accented with a red-white-red-white-red border. This historically significant flag is in good condition for a relic of its venerable age, with only minor and nearly unnoticeable staining present.

Auction Notepad