Official Missouri State Flag 1913 – Present (Printed Polyester)
The official Missouri State Flag design was adopted on March 22nd, 1913 when the governor of the state signed the flag act. The artwork consists of three horizontal stripes of red white and blue resembling the flag of the Netherlands. The colors represent valor, purity, vigilance, and justice and also pay tribute to the French influence on the state’s culture as it was once part of “French Louisiana”. The state’s seal which was designed in 1822, is centered on the white stripe in the middle and is bordered by a blue band with 24 white stars representing the fact that Missouri was the 24th state to join the Union. The state seal consists of the United States Coat of Arms on the righthand side of the center circle while on the left side, a grizzly bear which represents strength, and a silver crescent moon which is emblematic of what was at the time of the creation of the seal, a state with a small population and wealth which would grow as a waxing moon. A belt surrounds the center portion of the seal and is inscribed with the words “United We Stand Divided We Fall” implying that the people of Missouri should not only work together with each other, but also with the people of the other states. A buckle is placed towards the bottom of the belt symbolizing the state’s ability to secede from the Union if necessary. Two bears are flanking the seal and symbolize the bravery of the people of the state and the golden scroll towards the bottom on which the bears are standing is emblazoned with the state’s motto: “Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto” which means “The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law”. Below the scroll, is the Roman numeral for 1820 which was the year that Missouri became a state. The helmet above the seal is for the state’s sovereignty and the large star above the helmet surrounded by 23 smaller stars signifies Missouri as the 24th state to join the United States. The cloud around the stars represents the difficulties that Missouri faced in order to become a state. The flag was designed by Marie Elizabeth Oliver, wife of former state senator R.B. Oliver. She began her flag design project in 1908 after she was appointed chairperson of the Daughters of the American Revolution’s (DAR) committee to research and design an official flag for the state of Missouri. A drawing of the flag was presented to the state legislature in 1908 and after two unsuccessful bills in 1909 and 1911, the design was finally passed in 1913. The design remains unchanged until this day.
Printed polyester Missouri State flag. The material is very lightweight and will fly nicely in light breezes. The artwork is visible from both sides of the flag and the lettering reads correctly from one side only.
- One solid piece of printed, hemmed fabric
- Very lightweight printed polyester that will fly nicely in the slightest breeze.
- Bright colors
- 4 rows of stitching on the fly end to prevent premature fraying
- Reinforced header with brass grommets
- Flag size: 3′ x 5′