Composition
The Pennsylvania flag features a field of blue charged with the commonwealth coat of arms, centered.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania was the second state (commonwealth) to ratify the U.S. Constitution (just days after Delaware).
The General Assembly approved a first official flag in 1799, prominently featuring the Pennsylvania coat of arms. However, inconsistencies abounded so a few years later the flag was standardized to the version known today.
The flag was officially adopted June 13, 1907.
Iconography
horse
transportation, agriculture
corn
Native peoples, history
olive branch
peace, a hopeful future.
eagle
strength in sovereignty
ship
coastal commerce, the port of Philadelphia
wheat
rich agricultural tradition
plow
rich natural resources
motto
virtue, liberty, independence
Coat of Arms
Somewhat like the original flag, there were many inconsistent versions of the coat of arms between 1778 and 1875. The official coat of arms was adopted in 1874, designed almost 100 years earlier by Caleb Lownes, a Philadelphia Quaker.
Colors
The flag must use the same blue as the U.S. national flag, required since the standardization in 1907.
Pennsylvania statute does not provide Cable or Pantone values for the colors of the coat of arms.The hex values here are approximations.
Blue
#002147
Cable No. 70075 Old Glory Blue
PMS 282c
Grey
#414141
Gold
#dca90d
Red
#d10b10
Green
#076a21
Construction
Pennsylvania statute specifies the dimensions of the flag in feet and inches. It should have a hoist of 4 feet, 6 inches and a fly of 6 feet, 2 inches.
This is an unusual 27:37 proportion, so the flag is usually produced with a proportion of 2:3.
It does not specify dimensions for the coat of arms beyond “proportionate size.”
The flag can also have knotted fringe of yellow silk, measuring 2 and 1/2 inches wide and a cord of white and blue silk, measuring 8 feet, 6 inches.
Sources
- Howe, Randy. Flags of the Fifty States: Their Colorful Histories and Significance. Guilford: The Globe Pequot Press, 2002. Print.
- Mitchell, Henry. The State Arms of the Union. Boston: L. Prang & Co, 1876.
- Pennsylvania Statutes. Title 44 P.S. Legal Holidays and Observances. Section § 45. Flag of Pennsylvania; size and emblems.
- Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc.
- State Symbols USA
- Visit PA
- Coat of Arms of Pennsylvania - Wikipedia