The tattered and block-printed cotton Political Flags Collection in this exhibition demonstrate the ways that the American flag was used to promote presidential candidates more than a century ago. The selection, which marks the inauguration of UConn’s William Benton Museum of Art, includes a rare flag that helped elect Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and other early campaign textiles. The show illustrates how the American flag moved from off-hand adaptations, like a red banner soaked in calf’s blood, to become a powerful symbol of workers’ power and patriotism.

Show Your Colors: Exploring the Political Flags Collection

These flags, all dating before 1912, reflect the creative freedom available at the time to designers. They were not made to represent specific candidates or slogans, but rather to convey the ideas of certain groups of people — from the liberal “Colorados” in the Uruguayan Civil War to the socialist or communist parties in Europe. The collection of 155 flags was donated by Mark Shenkman, who founded and heads Shenkman Capital Management, a global money management firm in New York City, and served on the boards of directors of the Shenkman Foundation, the UConn Foundation, and George Washington University and Wilbraham & Monson Academy.

Shenkman grew up in a family that loved collecting Americana and he says his passion for history, especially the study of American political history, began at a young age on trips to Colonial Williamsburg and Gettysburg. He has long supported the University and serves on the board of trustees at GWU, and is a generous donor to Heritage Auctions.