Betsy Ross, 1777 (by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris) Notepad

This design features a painting by American artist Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863–1930). It shows the first flag of the United States of America being stitched by Betsy Ross (Elizabeth Griscom Ross), who was an American upholsterer credited with its creation. It is said that General George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and two members of a congressional committee (Robert Morris and George Ross) visited Mrs. Ross; she convinced George Washington to change the shape of the stars in a sketch of a flag he showed her from six-pointed to five-pointed by demonstrating that it was easier and speedier to cut the latter. The story may, in fact, be apocryphal, but it has now become a part of American tradition. The "Betsy Ross" flag design, with its easily identifiable circle of stars, is today flown as a symbol of patriotism and pride in American history.