On April 8, 1896, the New York state legislature adopted a law making the coat of arms on a buff field the official state flag. The buff field was chosen because Major Asa Gardiner, the main proponent of the flag, argued that it should be of the facing color of uniform worn by troops. George Washington had ordered that troops from New York and New Jersey serving in the Continental Army wear buff facings. However, the buff flag was unpopular, since the actual and more familiar custom at the time was for military flags to be blue with the coat of arms, as they had been for New York troops during and before the Civil War. Thus, the legislature changed the field from buff to blue by a law enacted on April 2, 1901.
The coat of arms as depicted on the flag has several minor differences from that on the state seal, or as it is shown in paintings for non-flag use. These are mainly in the treatment of the sun (squared off rays, no face on the disk) and in the simplification of the color palette for flag manufacture. [Text from FotW]
The coat of arms of the state flag was adopted in 1778 and the present flag is a modern version of a Revolutionary War regimental flag. The original is at the Albany Institute of History & Art.
Shown below are various designs that have been proposed for a new New York State flag.
NY Flag Proposal "Marmocet 1"
NY Flag Proposal "Marmocet 2"
NY Flag Proposal "Jack Expo"
NY Flag Proposal "Lord Grattan 1"
NY Flag Proposal "Lord Grattan 2"
NY Flag Proposal "Lord Grattan 3"
NY Flag Proposal "Marc Pasquin"
NY Flag Proposal "Martin23230"
NY Flag Proposal "Rubberduck3y6"
NY Flag Proposal "SonofSibir"
NY Flag Proposal "Brooklynite"
NY Flag Proposal "Andy Rash"
NY Flag Proposal "Lizard-Socks"
NY Flag Proposal "FlagFreak"
NY Flag Proposal "thefrek"
NY Flag Proposal "Swuboo 1"
NY Flag Proposal "Swuboo 2"
NY Flag Proposal "Swuboo 3"
NY Flag Proposal "Merrimack100"
NY Flag Proposal "Bigbuddhabelly 1"
NY Flag Proposal "Bigbuddhabelly 2"
NY Flag Proposal "Cirrus42 1"
NY Flag Proposal "Cirrus42 2"
NY Flag Proposal "Tibbetts 1"
NY Flag Proposal "Tibbetts 2"
NY Flag Proposal "Tibbetts 3"
NY Flag Proposal "Dutchie"
NY Flag Proposal - Designer Unknown
NY Flag Proposal "DeathPwnie"
NY Flag Proposal "Pimsleurable"
NY Flag Proposal "VoronX 1"
NY Flag Proposal "VoronX 2"
NY Flag Proposal "LAKings65"
NY Flag Proposal "AlternateUniverseDesigns"
NY Flag Proposal "Usacelt"
NY Flag Proposal "Saul Zulske"
NY Flag Proposal by Kermitdefrog
Liberty Crown Alternative Flag
New York State Flag Proposal No 1 By: Stephen Richard Barlow
New York State Flag Proposal No. 2 By Stephen Richard Barlow 24 July 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No. 3 By Stephen Richard Barlow 24 July 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No. 4 By: Stephen Richard Barlow 24 July 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No. 5 Designed By: Stephen R. Barlow 4 AUG 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No. 6 Designed By: Stephen R. Barlow 4 AUG 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No. 7 Designed By: Stephen R. Barlow 4 AUG 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No. 8 Designed By: Stephen R. Barlow 4 AUG 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No. 9 Designed By: Stephen R. Barlow 4 AUG 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No. 10 Designed By: Stephen R. Barlow 4 AUG 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No. 11 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 4 AUG 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No. 12 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 8 AUG 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No. 13 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 10 AUG 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No.14 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 11 AUG 2014
New York State Flag Proposal No. 15 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 11 AUG 2014
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 26 SEP 2014 at 1106hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 27 SEP 2014
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 28 SEP 2014 at 0809hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 29 SEP 2014 at 0647hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 29 SEP 2014 at 0800hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 30 SEP 2014 at 0818hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 30 SEP 2014 at 0753hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 01 OCT 2014 at 0756hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 29 SEP 2014 at 0710hrs cst
NY Flag Proposal "BigRed618"
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 07 OCT 2014 at 0820hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 07 OCT 2014 at 0840hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 07 OCT 2014 at 0841hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 07 OCT 2014 at 1026hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 07 OCT 2014 at 1037hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 01 OCT 2014 at 0857hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 01 OCT 2014 at 0904hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 30 SEP 2014 at 0808hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 30 SEP 2014 at 0925hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 30 SEP 2014 at 0928hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 30 SEP 2014 at 0935hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 30 SEP 2014 at 0936hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 20 SEP 2014 at 1327hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 07 OCT 2014 at 1047hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 07 OCT 2014 at 0815hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 28 OCT 2014 at 1048hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 30 OCT 2014 at 1312hrs
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 30 OCT 2014 at 1312hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 30 OCT 2014 at 1316hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 31 OCT 2014 at 0650hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 31 OCT 2014 at 0652hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 31 OCT 2014 at 0652hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 04 NOV 2014 at 0717hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal By: Stephen Richard Barlow 04 NOV 2014 at 0727hrs cst
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 8 DEC 2014 at 1806 HRS CST
New York State Flag Proposal (Colonial Colors) No. 2 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 05 JAN 2015 at 1233 HRS CST
New York State Flag Proposal (Colonial Colors) No. 3 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 10 NOV 2014 at 0836 HRS CST
New York State Flag Proposal (Colonial Colors) No. 3b Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 8 JAN 2015 at 0920 HRS CST
New York State Flag Simplistic Proposal. The Statue of Liberty’s crown has five points for the five states bordering the state and for New York City’s five boroughs. The red and white backwards “L” is a nod to the Union Jack and a reminder of what we can do when we band together. By Ed Mitchell. 2013.
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 16 APR 2015 at 0837 HRS CST.
New York State Flag Proposal Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 17 MAY 2015 at 0913 HRS CST.
New York State Flag Proposal without motto Designed By: DesertStormVet (Stephen Richard Barlow) 04 JUN 2015 at 1557 HRS CST.
New York State Flag Proposal. 50 Stars to represent the United States and drawn from the Jack of the United States, the Cross of St. George with the four lion are from the flag and arms of the City of York in Northern England, the White Rose of the House of York and of Yorkshire with the crown of Libertas (the lady of the Statue of Liberty). Proposal by Nathaniel Tang 06 JUNE 2015 at 23:07 UTC
New York State Flag Proposal. 50 Stars to represent the United States and drawn from the Jack of the United States, the Cross of St. George with the four lion are from the flag and arms of the City of York in Northern England, the White Rose of the House of York and of Yorkshire with the crown of Libertas (the lady of the Statue of Liberty), and the orange representing the Dutch who first colonized Manhatten. Proposal by Nathaniel Tang 08 JUNE 2015 at 01:15 UTC
New York State Flag Proposal. Pre-1801 Union Flag combined with the Dutch Prince's Flag. Proposal by Nathaniel Tang 08 JUNE 2015 at 01:40 UTC
New York State Flag Proposal. Pre-1801 Union Flag combined with the Dutch Prince's Flag with inspiration from the Dutch East India Company flag. Proposal by Nathaniel Tang 08 JUNE 2015 at 01:48 UTC
New York flag proposal by Achaley
New York flag proposal 1 by Paris1871 (
Reddit)
New York flag proposal 2 by Paris1871
New York flag proposal 3 by Paris1871
New York flag proposal 4 by Paris1871
NY flag proposal by 5thEye
New York Flag Proposal by TMD