Okay, folks, I think we have solved the mystery of the American flag carpet, or at least placed it in time. First, the link to our plea to readers for photo interpretation of this picture:
Now, analysis provided by Mark Smith, architect and former Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco (and former resident of the American Legation in Tangier!).
It’s possible that the gentleman standing behind the star field is Cavendish W. Cannon who was ambassador to Morocco from 1956 to 1958. He is the person on the left of the photo I have attached.
Other than that I note that the flag has 48 stars so probably predates the change in our flag to 49 stars when Alaska became a state on January 3, 1959. I also note that the person third from the left has a hair style that places this photo after about 1953. Also, several Moroccans are in the photo which implies to me that it is at or after the time of independence in 1956.
Mark gets 10 out of 10 for his keen analysis and identification of Cavendish W. Cannon, the first U.S. Ambassador to Morocco after its independence. CWC appears in this 1948 Life/Getty photo, and is listed thus on the State Department's roster of Chiefs of Mission to Morocco:
Name: Cavendish W. Cannon
State of Residency: Utah
Foreign Service Officer
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Jul 21, 1956
Presentation of Credentials: Oct 6, 1956
Termination of Mission: Relinquished charge, Jul 1, 1958
Okay, now that we've established that our flag is from the Eisenhower – Mohammed V era (both leaders met in Morocco in 1959), we can show you how the flag looks today, after its recent refurbishing:
Though the colors have faded a bit over the years, it's cleaner than it's ever been since Ambassador Cannon's time, and it has taken pride of place in a part of the American Legation that is closest to the spirit of its Moroccan weavers, flying over the classes of women learning to read and write, so that they can take their rightful place in Moroccan society.
Gerald Loftus
