The WSFS Banner

The WSFS Banner

The WSFS Banner has been traditionally hung at Worldcon for many years. It was conceived and designed by David A. Kyle (“the fan in the red jacket”) and made by fan Jean Carroll.

The banner was made for the 14th Worldcon held in New York in 1956, of which David Kyle was chairman. To quote David, ” I was inspired because the Biltmore Hotel had flagstaffs that jutted out over the front of the hotel over their marquee flying various appropriate flags (usually the American Flag). I decided we should have a WSFS convention banner of the appropriate dimensions hanging there also, and so it flew there during the convention weekend.”

The banner vanished from sight for a number of years – we now know it was held by Howard DeVore for at least a decade – before reappearing. It was put through a museum quality conservation process in 2011-12, so that we can continue to appreciate this important piece of Worldcon history. The banner will be proudly flown in the SEC for the duration of Glasgow 2024.