<I>Wire frame, GAR badge</I>

ca. 1879-1962

After the Civil War, soldiers from both the Confederate and Union armies established veteran’s organizations, with similar services and activities as those of fraternal and benevolent societies. The largest and most important of these groups was The Grand Army of the Republic, or GAR, established in 1866. Their ceremonies, rituals, and symbolism were based on the Masonic model. In addition to providing companionship and recreational activities, the GAR was instrumental in the establishment of soldiers’ homes, lobbying for soldiers’ pensions, and the national holiday and day of remembrance, Memorial Day, on May 30th. Membership in the GAR was restricted to honorably discharged veterans of the Union forces who served between April 12, 1861, and April 9, 1865. At its height membership in the GAR grew to 409,000 members, which included five U.S. presidents. Because of its restrictions on membership, the GAR was founded with “built-in extinction.” The last member of the GAR, Albert Woolson, died in 1956 at the age of 109 years. The GAR was so popular that floral frame manufacturers included their insignia in their catalogues and design albums. Nationally symbolic designs such as GAR badges, American flags, eagles, and many other designs were displayed in shop windows and at ceremonies for holidays such as Independence Day and Memorial Day. Flower frame designs of national symbols and emblems of the military branch of the fallen celebrated their patriotism at the funerals of active military and veterans. Often flowers the same color as the American flag were employed in arrangements, such as roses, carnations, and cornflowers to create that patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme. Nationally symbolic designs such as GAR badges, American flags, eagles, and many other designs were also displayed in shop windows and at ceremonies for holidays such as Independence Day and Memorial Day.