Name/Title
"Cuba Socialista" Enamel Pin — Red Field with Cuban-Flag StripesEntry/Object ID
2025.2.27Description
A small square pin in inlaid enamel within a silver-tone metal frame and dividing walls. The left half is a single plain red vertical field; the right half carries five equal horizontal stripes in the order blue, white, blue, white, blue (three blue, two white) — the stripe pattern of the Cuban national flag. There is no star or lettering on the face. The reverse is stamped "HECHO EN CUBA SOCIALISTA" ("Made in Socialist Cuba").Use
Obtained in Cuba by Anna Veltfort and brought to New York City with her when she moved back to the US.Context
The right field reproduces the Cuban flag's striped field (three blue stripes for the island's old divisions, two white for the purity of the independence cause). The plain red left field, read together with the reverse legend "Cuba Socialista," most plausibly stands for the red of socialism/communism joined to the national colors — a compact emblem of "Socialist Cuba." A purely stylized rendering of the whole Cuban flag (red hoist triangle squared off, lone star omitted) remains possible but is the less likely reading given the explicit socialist framing. The phrase "Cuba Socialista" itself dates the object: Fidel Castro proclaimed the Revolution's socialist character on 16 April 1961, on the eve of the Bay of Pigs, so the formulation belongs to 1961 and after.Collection
Anna Veltfort collectionAcquisition
Accession
2025.2Source or Donor
Anna VeltfortAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Time Period
1960sPlace
Country
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
Date: circa 1961Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
InscriptionLocation
backTranscription
HECHO EN CUBA SOCIALISTALanguage
SpanishTranslation
MADE IN SOCIALIST CUBAParts
Single enamel-on-metal badge.Materials
Material
MetalMaterial Notes
Metal frame and cell walls (silver/aluminum tone) with red, blue, and white enamel or enamel-like inlay (material tentative; matte, slightly chalky surfaces could indicate cold enamel/resin rather than vitreous enamel).Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Anna VeltfortNotes
ownerRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
acquisition, probably productionPlace
City
New York CityState/Province
New YorkCountry
U.S.A.Continent
North AmericaNotes
preservationRelated Events
Event
Socialism endorsementCreated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
March 31, 2022Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 18, 2026