Reiss Steamship Company
On February 15, 2023, this exhibit covered a newer version of the Reiss Steamship company flag. Here we present this three-foot-long swallowtail flag that was the very first design of the company flag. This flag would have been used from its beginning in 1916 until the mid-1920s before their house flag was remodeled. The main differences between the two flags are the type of flag changing from a swallowtail design to rectangular, and the company logo at the center. The Reiss company name is represented by a singular capital “R” at the center of a black diamond outlined in red. This flag design is a reflection of the logo seen on the bows of the company vessels at that time. The similarity between the two is the white, red, and black color scheme. This is a rare flag as it was only used for less than ten years in the company’s long history, having this in the collection is of great historical significance.
