Flag of Washington facts for kids
 |
|
| Use | Civil and state flag  |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 1:1.6 (5:8) |
| Adopted | March 5, 1923 (standardized in 1967) |
| Design | The state seal sized at 1/3 the length of the flag centered on a field of dark green. |
The flag of Washington consists of the state seal, displaying an image of its namesake George Washington, 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. The Secretary of State regulates flag protocol related to the state flag, as well approving replica flags for commercial sale and other standards related to the flag.
The flag was officially adopted on March 5, 1923, and has been a symbol of Washington ever since. Washington had achieved statehood in 1889, but did not have an official flag at the time. The Washington chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution designed the flag in 1915 and campaigned for its adoption by the Washington State Legislature in the early 1920s. The state flag has undergone minor revisions since its adoption, including the use of standardized colors in 1955 and a modernized seal in 1967.
Contents
History
.png)
The first evidence of a state flag bearing similarity to the present official one relates to one designed by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
In 1914, the national society of the DAR asked the state organization to send a state flag to Washington, D.C. to be hung in the DAR Memorial Continental Hall. Finding in Olympia that there was no state flag, a committee of the DAR chaired by S.J. Chadwick, wife of the then Justice of the Supreme Court Stephen J. Chadwick worked on a flag design. The flag they designed is described as having 'a green background for the Evergreen State, upon which was the seal of the State of Washington...' The banner was used in Memorial Continental Hall and then returned to Washington in April 1916 to hang behind the speaker's table at the annual state assembly of the DAR.
In 1923, the State Legislature and Senate adopted Senate Bill 154 into law without the Governor's signature to establish the official flag of the State of Washington.
In 1929, the DAR presented a state flag to Governor Roland H. Hartley, who received it on behalf of the state. This banner is still to be found in the official reception room of the Capitol.
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."
In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association 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 47th out of the 72.
Images for kids
-
Flag of Washington prior to the 1967 adoption of a new seal and standardization
-
The state flag (center) flying at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, Washington
.png)
See also
In Spanish: Bandera de Washington para niños
