Flag of Pennsylvania

What the flag shows

• The blue field. The 1907 law requires it to match the blue of the US flag. It also called for a fringe of knotted yellow silk around the edges.
• The coat of arms. In the center, based on a 1778 design by Caleb Lownes of Philadelphia.
• The ship. On the shield, for Pennsylvania goods carried to markets around the world.
• The plow. For the state’s natural resources.
• Three sheaves of wheat. For the state’s fields and farm labor.
• The olive branch and cornstalk. Below the shield, for peace and prosperity.
• Two horses and an eagle. Two black horses hold up the shield, and a bald eagle forms the crest.
• The ribbon. At the bottom, with the motto “Virtue, Liberty and Independence.”

A long history

Pennsylvania’s flag has a long pedigree. The General Assembly authorized the first state flag bearing the coat of arms in 1799. During the Civil War, many Pennsylvania regiments carried flags patterned on the US flag, with the state coat of arms in place of the field of stars. A law of June 13, 1907, standardized the flag in its current form.

Calls for a redesign

The flag has not changed since 1907. State Representative Joe Webster has proposed creating a Pennsylvania State Flag Commission to study the flag and gather new designs, arguing that a seal on a blue field is hard to tell apart from about twenty similar state flags. The proposal was reported out of committee in 2021 and reintroduced in 2025, but no new design has been adopted.

Rules for the flag

A Pennsylvania law makes it a misdemeanor to use the US or state flag for advertising, with an exception for patriotic or political demonstrations and decorations.