The flag of the state of Connecticut consists of a white baroque shield with three grapevines (each bearing three bunches of purple grapes) on a field of azure blue. The banner below the shield reads "Qui Transtulit Sustinet" ("He who transplanted still sustains"), the state's motto.
The design comes from the seal of Saybrook Colony when it was established in 1639. That seal depicted 15 grapevines and a hand in the upper left corner with a scroll reading "Sustinet qui transtulit". When Connecticut Colony bought Saybrook in 1644, the seal transferred to Connecticut Colony. On October 25, 1711, the governor and legislature changed the seal. They reduced the number of grapevines from 15 to three, in order to represent the three oldest settlements (Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford) (or possibly the three separate settlements, Connecticut Colony, Saybrook Colony, and New Haven Colony, which had been absorbed into Connecticut by that time) and rearranged the wording and position of the motto.
Proposals for a New Flag of Connecticut
Shown below are various designs for a proposed new flag of Connecticut.
Connecticut flag proposal by Zolntsa
CT Flag Proposal "Vexilo"
CT Flag Proposal "vexilo - ammended by Tibbetts"
CT Flag Proposal "luketheduke03 1"
CT Flag Proposal "luketheduke03 2"
CT Flag Proposal "Bezbojnicul"
CT Flag Proposal "Edward O'Connor"
CT Flag Proposal "ironchefshark"
CT Flag Proposal "VoronX 1"
CT Flag Proposal "VoronX 2"
CT Proposed Flag "VoronX 3"
CT Proposed Flag "VoronX 4"
CT Flag Proposal "Glen"
CT Proposed Flag "Rotterdam Herald"
CT Flag Proposal "Sammy"
CT Proposed Flag "Jack Expo 1"
CT Proposed Flag "Jack Expo 2"
CT Flag Proposal "FlagFreak"
CT Flag Proposal "Tibbetts"
CT Flag Proposal "Graphicology"
CT Flag Proposal "VT45 1"
CT Flag Proposal "VT45 2"
CT Flag Proposal "AlternateUniverseDesigns"
CT Flag Proposal "Usacelt"
CT Flag Proposal by Kermitdefrog
Connecticute State Flag Proposal No. 2 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 15 AuG 2014
CT Flag Proposal "Ben Karnell"
CT Flag Proposal "BigRed618"
Connecticut flag proposal 1 by Hans. Dec 2013. (details)
Connecticut flag proposal 2 by Hans. Dec 2013. (details)
Connecticut flag proposal 3 by Hans. Jul 2015. (details)
Connecticut flag proposal 4 by Hans. Oct 2015. (details)
Connecticut flag proposal 5 by Hans. Sep 2016. (details)
Connecticut flag proposal 6 by Hans. Oct 2016. (details)
Connecticut flag proposal 7 by Hans. Oct 2016. (details)
Connecticut State Flag Symplistic Proposal. I noticed the red-white-red stripes for the flag because they are commonly used on most of the state’s branding, including their official website. I kept the grapevine from the existing flag and seal, because it was an early symbol of prosperity and is believed to represent early individual. By Ed Mitchell. 2013.
Connecticut State Flag Proposal No. 7 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 06 MAY 2015 at 1031 HRS CST.
Connecticut flag proposal by Arminius13
CT flag proposal "5thEye"
Connecticut Flag Proposal by Enterprise09
Connecticut Flag Proposal by TheMaster001
Connecticut state flag proposal by James Dignan, September 2014, based on the arms of the Say and Sele family
Green star stands for the charter Oak. The purple for the vines. The blue for the Ocean. The 5 stripes for the order of admission. The white for the constitution. Design by Rotten Ali.
Connecticut state flag proposed by Ken Morton - This is my tweak of an excellent design by Ben Karnell. Mr. Karnell's substitution of the "Charter Oak" for grapes/grape vines as the state's representational symbol is a welcome design improvement.
As a unifying design principle, I believe the flags of the original thirteen states should, when possible, incorporate thirteen stars. Above is my proposed design for a new flag for my home state. [Posted by Ken Morton]
Yet another 'Charter Oak' flag. This design builds upon earlier submissions by multiple users. [Posted by Ken Morton]
Grapevines in the canton with five purple and white stripes to represent Connecticut's admission as fifth state to the United States.
275 designs were studied and voted on. These were the final 6 designs. Most either had the Oakland City tree or vine plants from the State Seal. Winner was well supported.
Connecticut state flag proposed by Ken Morton [June 26, 2019] I like this one.
Yet another state flag for Connecticut. Really, anything would be better than our current flag. [Borrowed the grapes from "Bezbojnicul".] Posted by Ken Morton
Most common symbolism
Besides the grapevines from the state seal, the most common symbol is the Charter Oak. According to tradition, Connecticuters hid their colony's charter inside a giant oak tree in Hartford to prevent its falling into the hands of Sir Edmund Andros, who had been sent by King James II to impose stronger royal control. The oak became a symbol of Connecticut's independence. It is the dominant symbol on its state quarter.