Virginia Flag

So, you are interested in states flags and their history and there you are, trying to find information about the Virginia state flag. Questions that you might want answered are “what does the Virginia flag represent?” “When was the Virginia state flag adopted”? Or if you have seen Virginia’s flag you might wonder, “Who is the person on the Virginia flag?” Well, lets start with the adoption question. Virginia’s state flag was adopted in 1861. The Virginia flag depicts a circular emblem on a dark blue background. The circle in the center is the sate seal of Virginia. It displays the goddess Virtue dressed as an amazone. The goddess is having one foot on a man lying on the floor. The man was defeated by the goddess and was a tyrant. The tyrant’s fallen crown is close to the body and the tyrant is still holding a chain and scourge whip. Virtue is holding a sword and a spear. The goddess virtue symbolizes the state of Virginia, while the tyrant symbolizes Britain. Right above the two persons is the word “VIRGINIA” and below “SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS”. The latin words translated mean “thus always to tyrants”. The seals background is white and is rimmed with white but right inside that rim are red Virginia creepers with green leaves.

When flying the Virginia flag the fly is supposed to have a white silk fringe. The Virginia seal and flag were designed originally by the jurist George Whyte in 1776. In 1954 the General Assembly of Virginia also added an official salute to the state flag of Virginia. The salute is “I salute the flag of Virginia with reverence and patriotic devotion to the ‘Mother of States and Statesmen,’ which it represents-the ‘Old Dominion, where liberty and independence were born.

Flags of Virginia can be bought at anyone of the many flag stores across the United States and you can also order Virginia state flags online with many retailers. Pictures of Virginia’s flag can be found in history books and museums. Other sources for pictures of the Virginia state flag are the official pages of the state of Virginia as well as other online pages.

For the youngest ones there are coloring pages of the Virginia state flag for educational purposes as well as for fun. For the teens and computer enthusiasts there are also Virginia flag animations available for download. Virginia’s capital Richmond proudly displays the state flag of Virginia.