Skip to main content

Link to Smithsonian homepage

Smithsonian Music

Main menu

  • Calendar
  • Listen
  • Learn
    • Ask Smithsonian
    • Collections Spotlights
    • Music Stories
  • Watch
  • Blog

American flag recovered from the World Trade Center

Object Details

Description
Description: This badly damaged American flag was found by a recovery worker in the World Trade Center debris at the Staten Island recovery site.
Context: The dominant symbol to emerge from the September 11 tragedy was the American flag. Raised over the World Trade Center ruins and hung from the damaged Pentagon, the flag became a powerful symbol of patriotism, survival, and resilience. Many Americans, who at one time had rejected overt displays of patriotism, returned to flying the flag at home, at work, even from their cars. The shared symbolism of the meaning of the flag helped unite Americans in a time of crisis. Only a few American flags from the World Trade Center survived the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Museum of American History
associated date
2002 - 09 through 2006
Physical Description
synthetic (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 109 cm x 71 cm; 42 15/16 in x 27 15/16 in
overall (on board): 29 in x 45 in x 1 in; 73.66 cm x 114.3 cm x 2.54 cm
Object Name
Flag

Featured In

  • Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Link to Smithsonian homepage

  • About
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
Back to Top