WCTU: BATTLE FLAGS OF THE WHITE RIBBON ARMY

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was formed in 1874 to promote abstinence from alcohol. State and local chapters of this organization had their own banners, and this lithograph from 1885 shows banners from Ohio, New York, Massachusetts and Evanston (Illinois). Also pictured is a banner from the worldwide WCTU organization. These banners represented the "Battle Flags of the White Ribbon Army."

The story of the temperance movement, how it began and how it evolved, is quite interesting, and this beautiful lithograph shows a bit of the early history of the movement.