{"product_id":"heritage-series-bear-flag-holiday-ornament","title":"Bear Flag · A Country That Lasted 25 Days · Heritage Holiday Ornament","description":"\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px 0;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/merlinclassics.store\/collections\/heritage-ornaments\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center;background:#F0EAD6;color:#0B0B0B;border:1px solid #000000;padding:12px 16px;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;\"\u003eMore Heritage Ornaments\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBear Flag.\u003c\/strong\u003e Rough cloth on a lashed staff: one red star, one walking grizzly, one red bar along the bottom. It was thrown together in June 1846 by settlers who woke up one morning and declared themselves a republic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe revolt that gave the flag its name lasted less than a month, from June 14 to July 9, 1846, when American forces raised the Stars and Stripes and California's short-lived republic folded into the Mexican-American War. The flag itself was the work of William Todd, a nephew of Mary Todd Lincoln, who painted the bear on unbleached cotton with whatever he had; one story says berry juice. By most accounts the grizzly came out more hog than bear.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe design outlived the republic. When California adopted its state flag in 1911 it kept the star, the bar and the bear, and the grizzly is often said to be modeled on Monarch, a real California grizzly captured in 1889 and shown for years at a San Francisco park. The California grizzly bear was gone from the wild by the 1920s. It survives on the flag.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur own engraving-style drawing, set in crystal so the weave of the cloth holds under the lights; the star and the stripe supply the red. Three inches across.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor Californians anywhere, flag collectors and vexillology fans, history readers, and everyone who likes a symbol with a better story than the government it flew over. Profits go to hunger relief.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFaceted crystal, three inches across, with a white back so the line work reads clearly from anywhere in the room once the tree is lit. Red ribbon. Boxed in gold or white, your call at checkout. Ships free anywhere in the U.S.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/merlinclassics.store\/collections\/heritage-ornaments\" style=\"color:#6b6b6b;text-decoration:underline;\"\u003eMore Heritage Ornaments\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cmeta name=\"keywords\" content=\"bear flag, california flag, california grizzly bear, california state flag, vexillology, bear flag republic, bear flag revolt, california bear flag, california grizzly, california history, california republic, california republic flag, california souvenir, california state symbols, california statehood, flag history, historic flags, bear flag meaning, bear flag revolt 1846, california christmas ornament, california gifts, california history facts, california independence, california ornament, california themed gifts, flag art, flag collectors, flag ornament, gifts for californians, monarch the bear, 1846 california, bear flag history, california bear ornament, california christmas decor, california christmas gifts, california republic history, flag christmas ornament, grizzly bear flag, grizzly bear ornament, original bear flag, vintage flag art\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"bear flag\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california flag\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california grizzly bear\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california state flag\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"vexillology\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"bear flag republic\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"bear flag revolt\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california bear flag\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california grizzly\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california history\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california republic\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california republic flag\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california souvenir\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california state symbols\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california statehood\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"flag history\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"historic flags\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"bear flag meaning\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"bear flag revolt 1846\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california christmas ornament\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california gifts\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california history facts\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california independence\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california ornament\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california themed gifts\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"flag art\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"flag collectors\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"flag ornament\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"gifts for californians\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"monarch the bear\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"1846 california\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"bear flag history\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california bear ornament\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california christmas decor\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california christmas gifts\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"california republic history\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"flag christmas ornament\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"grizzly bear flag\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"grizzly bear ornament\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"original bear flag\"\u003e\u003cmeta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"vintage flag art\"\u003e\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"FAQPage\", \"mainEntity\": [{\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What is the Bear Flag ornament?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"An original engraving-style drawing of the homemade 1846 Bear Flag, with its red star, walking grizzly and red bar, set in a three-inch faceted crystal round with a white back and a red ribbon hanger. Part of the Merlin Classics Heritage Series.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What was the Bear Flag Revolt?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"A June 1846 uprising in which American settlers in Mexican California declared the California Republic and raised a homemade flag with a grizzly bear. It ended on July 9, 1846, when U.S. forces raised the American flag during the Mexican-American War.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Who was Monarch the bear?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"A California grizzly captured in 1889 and exhibited in San Francisco. The grizzly on the California state flag is widely said to be modeled on him; the California grizzly was extinct in the wild by the 1920s.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"How does it ship?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Boxed in gold or white, without prices, and shipped free anywhere in the U.S.\"}}]}\u003c\/script\u003e","brand":"Merlin Classics","offers":[{"title":"One size \/ Circle + White Gift Packaging","offer_id":50578562515161,"sku":"11031975208741764008","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"One size \/ Circle + Gold Gift Packaging","offer_id":50578562547929,"sku":"18096073716419381657","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0768\/9374\/9465\/files\/7788775335672061457_2048_b0b8433e-e7e8-4236-acfc-3c4330719370.jpg?v=1790790913","url":"https:\/\/merlinclassics.store\/products\/heritage-series-bear-flag-holiday-ornament","provider":"Merlin Classics","version":"1.0","type":"link"}