flag of Virginia

In 1776 the jurist George Wythe probably drew upon a book on Roman antiquities by Joseph Spence when he created the first Virginia state seal. It was made in two sizes and had distinctive designs on the obverse and reverse sides. The reverse showed women symbolizing liberty, eternity, and agriculture.

The design on the obverse now appears on the state flag. It features a woman personifying virtue and dressed as an Amazon. She wears a helmet and holds a spear and sword above the Latin motto “Sic semper tyrannis” (“Thus always to tyrants”). She is standing on the prostrate figure of a fallen king, his crown lying to one side, thus carrying out the theme of popular victory over tyrannical government. The whip and chain held by the king have been rendered useless. The seal had already appeared on various military flags before April 30, 1861, when the legislature placed it on a blue field as the official state flag. In 1931 the “ornamental border” of the seal was more precisely defined as a wreath of Virginia creeper, and on March 16, 1949, exact colours were assigned to the various design elements.