Oklahoma

flag of Oklahoma
The Sooner State
Admitted November 16, 1907

Oklahoma adopted its first state flag in 1911 which featured a field of red and a single white star.

Fearing a red flag would be associated with communism, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) proposed designing a new flag in 1924.

DAR held a flag contest and Louise Funk Fluke, a local artist, submitted the winning design. Her design, featuring an Osage war shield on a field of blue, was officially adopted April 2, 1925.

It has seen a couple small changes since. The word “Oklahoma” was added in 1941. In 1988, due to inconsistencies, the colors of the flag were addressed, but not standardized into law until November 1, 2006.

Composition

The Oklahoma flag features a field of sky blue charged with an Osage war shield, centered. The shield is decorated with six crosses and seven pendant eagle feathers.

On top of the shield, a Native American peace pipe is crossed with an olive branch.

The word “Oklahoma” is inscribed below in white.

flag of Oklahoma

Iconography

  • a circular shield decorated with seven hanging feathers

    Osage shield

    tribute to Native peoples

  • six cross shapes in two rows

    crosses

    stars, high ideals

  • a single olive branch

    olive branch

    peace, white settlers

  • a peace

    pipe

    peace, Native peoples

Colors

Oklahoma statute specifies Pantone values for its flag colors.

Fluke chose her specific blue to match the Choctaw battle flag that flew during the Civil War.


Values corresponding to imagery:French Blue: field
Amber: shield
Flesh: feathers, pipe
Gold Brown: feathers, crosses
Ruby Red: pipe body, tassel
Dartmouth Greeen: olive branch
French Blue
#0072ce
PMS 285c
Amber
#bb9959
PMS 465c
White
#ffffff
Pantone White
Flesh
#e8927c
PMS 486c
Gold Brown
#963821
PMS 174c
Ruby Red
#782f40
PMS 195c
Dartmouth Green
#215b41
PMS 554c

Construction

Oklahoma statute does not specify the dimensions for the flag. It is often produced with a 4:6 proportion.

For each cross on the war shield, the horizontal bar should be 3/4 the width of the vertical bar. The top edge of the horizontal bar should be placed at the 25% mark of the vertical bar.

construction sheet for the flag of Oklahoma

Previous iterations

  • a field of red charged with a blue-bordered white star; within the star the number 46 is inscribed

    1911–1925

    Original flag for the 46th state.

  • a field of blue charged with the war shield, olive branch, and pipe

    1925–1941

    Louise Funk Fluke’s winning design.

  • the current flag but with slightly different coloring

    1941–2006

    The word “Oklahoma” is added.

  • the current flag

    2006–Present

    Shapes and colors are standardized.

Sources