Cigar Flannel Flags

We share a love of vintage textiles-- mine is less educated, which is one of the great pleasures of working with Kate-- the woman knows her fabrics. One collection we have for sale is of tobacco flannels, often known as "cigar flannels" or "cigar felts". This is a misnomer though, because there's no evidence that these little pennants were ever found in cigar boxes (perhaps they have been assumed to come from there because their size is so often cigar-box-dimensioned) and they are never made of felt.

These small printed pennants were usually male-oriented in design. Flags of the world are common (most of ours are of flags) but butterflies also show up, aimed at female consumers (we also have some of these).

The flannels were distributed in or on cigarette and tobacco products, and larger felts were available in catalogs that consumers shopped in with coupons distributed in tobacco products.

The flannels are charming pinned to a string, as we show them in the shop, or lovely framed. They were often incorporated into quilts, which are highly collectible. Just one makes an interesting gift, while a grouping makes quite a visual statement. We are offering these for ten dollars each.