posted 04-07-2003 01:40 PM            

Hello all,

I am a sucker for old metal objects, and I thought I would share this nice old seal in the form of a federal eagle. The upper part is probably brass, but the face may be copper, or even a low grade gold. Regardless, a neat piece to my eyes. Does anyone else have some good old seals to share? I find them compelling, as they were very personal objects.

As an aside, does anyone know what symbols, if any, were adopted by the political parties in the young United States? We know the English had a tradition of displaying allegiance to a cause through decorative art iconography. The Jacobites, for example, used certain coded symbols on their silver to demonstrate their political leanings.

My question is, was this tradition carried over to the U.S? Did use of the "Federal Eagle" imply some allegiance to the Federalist party ? Likewise, did the purchasers of spoons with dove and olive branch motifs support the early Republican party of Thomas Jefferson? This is just something that occurred to me, and I wondered if anyone had explored the possibility in the literature.