July 4 Is Always a Star-Spangled-Banner Day for Old Glory. Celebrate With These 15 Images of the American Flag

An illuminated American flag display casts its colors onto passing cars, merging national symbolism with New York City s constant flow of people and light. Yoshinori Sawa, New York, 2024 Proudly hailed centuries and several iterations since its introduction, the American flag continues to be a symbol of unity and resilience for citizens of not only the nation but the world. Its 13 stripes represent the original colonies, and it bears a star for each of the 50 states. Songs and poems have been penned in its honor, and American flags—probably bleached white by the sun—are still planted on the moon. Whether waving atop government buildings, folded neatly at the tombs of soldiers or flying over a stadium as thousands of baseball fans sing its origin story, the stars-and-stripes stands as a symbol of what we aim to be. Take a look. American flags circle the Washington Monument as the setting sun silhouettes nearby tourists. Agnieszka Wieczorek, Washington, D.C., 2024 A tattered replica of the flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814—and inspired the Star-Spangled Banner—blows in the wind in Federal Hill Park in Baltimore. Nicolas Calle, Maryland, 2016 Nicolas Calle, Maryland, 2016 The hands of a World War II veteran grasp an aged and weathered American flag. Phyllis Tatum, Tennessee, 2019 A rider carries the flag during the opening ceremony at Williams Ranch Rodeo in Williams, Arizona. Josef Buergi, Arizona, 2025 An American flag is visible through a broken window pane in San Francisco. Eugene Reshetov, California, 2021 Retired U.S. Navy Command Master Chief Mack Ellis embraces an American flag following his reading of I Am the Flag, a 1994 poem written by U.S. Marine Howard Schnauber, at a Memorial Day event near Jacksonville, Florida. John Merriam, Florida, 2023 A large American flag drapes a modest barn in the Palouse area of Washington. Linda Lucas, Washington, 2020 Old Glory wafts in the breeze, sharing the frame with another icon of America, the Statue of Liberty. Blair Ramsey, Alabama, 2020 On July 4, an aptly dressed toddler holds an American flag while sporting the perfect red, white and blue romper. Zachary Ray, Massachusetts, 2019 American flags hang from sailboats at the Herreshoff Marine Museum pier during the annual yacht regatta in Bristol, Rhode Island. Bern Altman, Rhode Island, 2018 A member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team sails in to help open the Sun N Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida. Norman Bradney, Florida, 2021 Bales of hay display patriotic wrapped in glory sit in a Colorado field during harvest season. Marjorie Nanian, Colorado, 2024 An American flag is reflected in a window near on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. Virginia Hines, California, 2024 A veteran wears wearing a stars- and- stripes outfit sets and flies a red, white and blue flag kite aloft at the annual Blossom Kite Festival on the National Mall. Agnieszka Wieczorek, Washington, D.C., 2024 You Might Also Like An A.I.-Generated Alexander Hamilton Chats About Economics at the Museum of American Finance, Opening This Weekend in Boston July 2, 2026 Scientists Say They've Made Cells That Feed, Grow and Reproduce, Bringing Them One Step Closer to Building Life From Scratch July 2, 2026 3D Printing Gives New Life to an Ancient Game Board Discovered at a Roman Fort Near Hadrian's Wall in England July 2, 2026 Puzzled by Mark Rothko's Captivating Color Field Paintings? Look to the Renaissance Masters Who Inspired Him July 2, 2026 Discover Seven Stories of America in the National Museum of Natural History’s New Exhibition July 2, 2026 Jeff Campagna | | Read More

Jeff Campagna is a photo editor at Smithsonian magazine. You can follow him on Instagram at @jeffcampagna.

Tracy Scott Forson is a senior editor at Smithsonian magazine.