In 1891, Daniel Sharp Ford, the owner of the "Youth's Companion", hired Bellamy to work with Ford's nephew James B. Upham in the magazine's premium department. In 1888, the "Youth's Companion" had begun a campaign to sell US flags to public schools as a premium to solicit subscriptions. For Upham and Bellamy, the flag promotion was more than merely a business move; under their influence, the "Youth's Companion" became a fervent supporter of the schoolhouse flag movement, which aimed to place a flag above every school in the nation. Four years later, by 1892, the magazine had sold US flags to approximately 26,000 schools. By this time the market was slowing for flags, but was not yet saturated.