Maine

Maine
Country	United States
Flag of Maine
Adopted	16 June 1909
Score in 2001 NAVA survey	3.39/10 (60th of 72)
Maine Merchant and Marine Flag
Adopted	16 March 1939
Wikipedia article
Flags of the World article

The flag of the state of Maine features the state coat of arms on a blue field. In the center of the shield, a moose rests under a white pine tree. A farmer and seaman represent the traditional reliance on agriculture and the sea by the state. The North Star represents the state motto: Dirigo ("I Lead"). The forest scene that appears on most examples of this flag is unofficial. The design presently used was drawn in 1919 by an artist of the American Type Foundry Company of Boston, believed to have been the book illustrator Ludwig S. Ipsen.

According to the official legal description, the flag should be 4'4" by 5'6", mounted on a 9' pole (exclusive of the brass spearhead and ferrule), have the design embroidered in silk threads, a fringe of yellow silk and should have a blue and white silk cord attached at the spearhead. No flag matching the legal description is known to exist.

Prior to the First World War, unofficial Maine flags often were made with the Coat of Arms on a buff disc placed in the center of the blue field.

A variant of the flag was authorized for use by the militia; same design with the addition of two red scrolls, one above and one below the arms. The top to have the unit name on it (e.g. "First Regiment Infantry") and the bottom to be inscribed "National Guard State of Maine". This was changed in 1954 by the deletion of the top scroll and a change in the inscription of the bottom scroll to "Maine National Guard".

Maine is one of only three states with a separate ensign, which is rarely seen (the other two states are Massachusetts and Texas, although the Texan flag has not been used since 1845). It features symbols from the current flag and the older one, with a white field and green pine tree. The green pine tree has a fouled anchor, and the words "MAINE" and "DIRIGO" around it.

Historical Flags of Maine

Maine's militia used a State Color from 1822 to at least the Civil War. One of these was captured by Confederate forces at the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861. It was returned to Maine in 1905 but is unaccounted for today. The design was by John R. Penniman of Boston, a famous flag painter of the day. These were perhaps the earliest printed silk flags, using a copper plate. It is known that flags were made in 1822, 1827 and about 1841, and likely other times. The plate was possibly used to print flags after the War but documentation is lacking. The plate was still in existence in 1879 but its disposition and whereabouts today are unknown.

On April 11, 1884, the New York Times reported a flag for Maine's governor was presented. It depicted the Maine Coat of Arms surrounded by a circle of [probably 38] white stars on a blue field with a heavy gold fringe and heavy golden tassels. On May 1, 1967, Governor Ken Curtis reported he used a Maine State Flag with fringe as his official flag.

The first official state flag, adopted in 1901, consisted of a white pine tree in green and brown, Maine's official tree and also the symbol of New England, in the center, with a blue "North Star", all on a buff-colored background. This flag was authorized for use by the militia in 1901.

Maine Banner of Arms by Gary Scott Csillaghegyi-Benson. In heraldry, the design of the shield is automatically the Banner of Arms. Maine's shield is white bearing a white pine tree with a recumbent Moose at it's base, all in natural colors.

1822 Maine Militia Color drawn by Dave Martucci. This bears an inscription indicating it was used by one of the two battalions of the First Regiment in the Second Brigade of the Fourth Division, organized in the Dresden, Pittston, Westport, Whitefield, Wiscasset area. This is the flag captured by the Confederates on July 21, 1861 and returned to Maine's Governor by the War Department March 31, 1905. It was stamped by the War Department "219". Its present whereabouts are unknown.

The First Flag of Maine, adopted March 6th, 1901

Official pattern of the 1901 Maine Flag, issued by the Adjutant General, official keeper of the Model Flag.

1909 flag as described by law, reconstruction by the Flag Research Center. The Maine Coat of Arms , unlike the seal, was never changed by law since it's adoption in 1820 and the flag description is clear the image is the State Coat of Arms, not the seal.

The Maine Marine flag presented by Governor Lewis O. Barrows to Commander Donald MacMillan in 1939 for use on the Schooner Bowdoin on one of its cruises to the Arctic. Note the rope on the fouled anchor. Photo by Carl Gurtman.

Proposals for a New Flag of Maine

ME Flag Proposal "FederalRepublic"

ME Flag Proposal "FlagFreak"

ME Flag Proposal "Gfour"

ME Flag Proposal "Jack Expo"

ME Flag Proposal "Edward O'Connor"

ME Flag Proposal "charl"

ME Flag Proposal "NSCatilina"

ME Flag Proposal "Tibbetts"

ME Flag Proposal "Sammy"

ME Proposed Flag "VT45"

ME Flag Proposal "duocitizen"

ME Flag Proposal "Rebranding America" modified by Ben Karnell

ME Flag Proposal "BigRed618"

ME Flag Proposal "Ben Karnell"

Maine State Flag Proposal No. 10 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 27 OCT 2014 at 1318hrs cst

Maine State Flag Symplistic Proposal. The blue triangle in the center is a big pine tree, and the upside-down triangle alongside the white diagonal on the right represent the ocean and coastline. By Ed Mitchell. 2013.

Updated Maine state flag proposal. The Maine flag is an update of the previous one I designed. It also features a pine tree in the middle. The pine tree, a symbol of new England, is on the state’s original flag from 1901. The state motto is “Dirigo,” which is Latin for “I direct,” and the shape of the pine tree in this updated design doubles as an arrow pointing up the path to the future. By Ed Mitchell. 2016.

ME flag proposal by 5thEye

Maine Flag Proposal by TheMaster001

Maine flag proposal 1 by Hans. Feb 2016. (details)

Maine flag proposal 2 by Hans. Apr 2016. (details)

Maine flag proposal 3 by Hans. Sep 2020. (details)

ME Flag Proposal by "ZeekLTK" - based on Quebec flag with Maine colors and pine symbol

ME Flag Proposal 2 by "ZeekLTK"

ME Flag Proposal by nhprman

ME Flag Proposal 3 by "ZeekLTK"

Complex clip art tree redrawn many times over. Buff field & blue star. Design by Rotten Ali.

High - Vis winter flag In my collection I would propose that the state have two offical flags - this one flown for 3 months of the winter period - day glow orange - sky blue star in same shade as the Maine ribbon. Design by Rotten Ali.

ME State flag proposal. Standard layout but tree has 23 vectors to stand for being the 23rd admission to the Union. Design by Rotten Ali

Maine state flag proposal by Ken Morton. Maine's two distinct geographic, cultural and economic regions are united in this flag; with blue representing the coast and the canton representing the wooded interior.

Created by Maine Flag Company. Officially proposed in Maine Legislature in Feb 7, 2019.

ME Flag Proposal "apollohawkridge"

Proposal for a flag for Maine. By Qaz Dec 2019 (details)

Proposal for a flag for Maine. By Qaz Dec 2019 (details)

Part of series of designs for state flags, all in blue and white. (Posted by Ken Morton)

Unpretentious and straightforward, as Mainers are known to be. Green for forests, blue for coastline; diagonal stripe represents Maine's general SW-NE orientation

A variation on the above, with 22 stripes green and blue bisected diagonally with a 23rd stripe symbolizing Maine as the 23rd state.

Variation on above incorporating the design of the 1901-09 flag

Taking cues from ZeekLTK and Vexillasny's designs, this unpretentious design represents forest and ocean.

Green representing the forests, blue representing the rivers alongside the coastline.

Vexillasny's Flag With Coat Of Arms

Results not as extensive as often posted - very tight photo finish. Pine Tree wins in the end.

Flag Research Center proposal, 1976. Traditional white field, blue North Star and whorls of pine needles. The famous vexillologist Dr. Whitney Smith, Jr. designed this flag and it was published in Yankee Magazine in 1977.

Arnold Rabbow proposal, c.1974. Pine cone on a white field with a blue bar at the fly end. Rabbow was a famous European heraldist.

Peter Martin proposal, c. 1979. Gold North Star on blue at hoist and a field of green and white triangles representing the forests of Maine.

Michael Bloomstrom's proposal (one of two) c. 1979. White field, white North Star fimbriated blue superimposed on a gold ring with stylized pine tree and wavy blue lines representing Maine's rivers and lakes.

Michael Bloomstrom's proposal (two of two) c. 1979. Similar symbols but on a blue field.

"Renaissance" - The popular 1901 Maine flag design, accompanied by the tree symbol from the historic Flag of New England. [Details]