Flag of Washington
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the flag of the U.S. state of Washington. For the flag of the U.S. capital, see Flag of Washington, D.C.Flag of Washington, D.C.The flag of the District of Columbia, USA, consists of three red stars above two red bars on a white background. It is based on the design of the coat of arms of George Washington, first used to identify the family in the twelfth century, when one of George Washington's ancestors took possession of...
The flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
of the state of Washington consists of the state seal
Seal of Washington
The Seal of the State of Washington contains a portrait of George Washington, as painted by Gilbert Stuart. The outer ring contains the text "The Seal of the State of Washington" and "1889", the year Washington state was admitted to the Union...
(which bears an image of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
) on a field of dark green with gold fringe being optional. It is the only U.S. state flag with a field of green as well as the only state flag with the image of an American president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
History
The design was adopted in 1923, prior to which Washington had no official state flag. At the turn of the 20th century, Washington state residents flew a blue military flag with President Washington's profile in gold according to information on the Washington Secretary of State's Web site. Later unofficial flags were similar to today's flag but featured the state seal in gold on a green or purple field.In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association
North American Vexillological Association
The North American Vexillological Association is a membership organization devoted to "vexillology as the scientific study of flags." Flag researchers, designers, collectors, activists, merchants, and other enthusiasts from the United States and Canada meet annually at NAVA meetings in order to...
surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U.S. state, U.S. territorial and Canadian provincial flags. The survey found that the flag of Washington ranked 25th-worst out of all 72 in the running, ranking 47th out of the 72.
Reproduction
Because the seal must be stitched on both sides, the flag is the most costly state flag in the United States. People who wish to duplicate the Washington state flag must send two copies of their version of the flag to the Washington Secretary of State. If approved, the secretary will then send one copy of the flag back to its maker marked "approved" and keep the other on file.According to state law (RCW 1.20.010), "The official flag of the state of Washington shall be of dark green silk or bunting and shall bear in its center a reproduction of the seal of the state of Washington embroidered, printed, painted or stamped thereon. The edges of the flag may, or may not, be fringed. If a fringe is used the same shall be of gold or yellow color of the same shade as the seal. The dimensions of the flag may vary."
See also
- State of Washington
- Symbols of the state of Washington
- Seal of the state of Washington
- Symbols of the state of Washington