The flag of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania consists of a blue field on which the state coat of arms is embroidered. Originally authorized by the state in 1799, the current design was enacted by law in 1907. The blue field must, by legislative mandate, match the shade of blue in the US flag (Pantone 282c).
The state coat of arms is surrounded by draft horses on both sides, and a bald eagle, which represents Pennsylvania's loyalty to the United States, above. The state coat of arms includes a ship under full sail, a plow, and three sheaves of wheat indicating the significance of commerce, labor, perseverance and agriculture to the state. Surrounding the coat of arms is a stalk of Indian corn on the left and an olive branch on the right. These represent the state's recognition of its past and its hope for the future. The scroll below the coat of arms reads: "Virtue, Liberty and Independence," which is the state's motto.
In the summer of 2007, a bill was introduced to the state legislature to add "Pennsylvania" to the bottom of the flag in golden letters. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted in favor of the change. The legislation was proposed by State Representative Tim Solobay. The Senate has not yet taken action on the bill.
Shown below are various designs for a new flag of Pennsylvania.
Flags featuring Keystones
PA Flag Proposal "NuclearVacuum 1"
PA Flag Proposal "Mark Luther #1"
PA Flag Proposal "Mark Luther 2"
PA Flag Proposal "Mark Luther #3"
PA Flag Proposal "Marmocet 2"
PA Flag Proposal "Marmocet 3"
PA Flag Proposal "Howard J Wilk #1"
PA Flag Proposal "Howard J Wilk" #2
PA Flag Proposal "Manonpinkcorner #2"
PA Flag Proposal "Rob64"
PA Flag Proposal "Wheatley Cereal"
PA Flag Proposal "VoronX #1"
PA Flag Proposal "Jack Expo #1"
PA Flag Proposal "Jack Expo #2"
PA Flag Proposal "SonofSibir #1"
PA Flag Proposal "SonofSibir #3"
PA Flag Proposal "Lord Grattan"
PA Flag Proposal "Iserlohn"
PA Flag "Iserlohn 2"
PA Flag Proposal "Iserlohn 3"
PA Flag Proposal "Djinn327"
PA Flag Proposal "Eigenwelt"
PA Flag Proposal "Uberguuy"
PA Flag Proposal "Uberguuy 2"
PA Flag Proposal "Emiss 1"
PA Flag Proposal "Brett A. Hand"
PA Flag Proposal "AlternateUniverseDesigns"
Proposed Pennsylvania flag - pointing to the future
PA Flag Proposal "PixieCoeFeets"
Pennsylvania flag proposal 1 by Hans. Dec 2013. (details)
Pennsylvania flag proposal 2 by Hans. Dec 2013. (details)
Proposed PA State Flag with Bloody Bucket by Cwalt925
PA State Flag inspired after Texas, by Cwalt925
PA flag proposal by 5thEye
PA flag proposal by 5thEye (yellow verszion)
PA flag proposal by nhprman
Keystone Tricolor by Tara Stark
Blue Keystone with White in hoist (matched to white tech stripe) and gold ib fly to perform well in a good breeze. Design by Rotten Ali.
PA flag proposal by Gutberg
Pennsylvania state flag proposed by Ken Morton.
Flags featuring William Penn's coat of arms
PA Flag Proposal "Pimsleurable"
PA Flag Proposal "Pimsleurable" modified by Zolntsa
PA Flag Proposal "RNYAK"
PA Flag Proposal "Tibbetts"
PA flag proposal by Philip Tibbetts, modified by Hans. Dec 2014. (details)
PA Proposed Flag "VulcanTrekkie45"
Proposed PA flag by Tara Stark.
Proposal with shield on black background and olive branches. By Leonardo Iannelli.
Flags featuring both Keystones and William Penn's coat of arms
PA Flag Proposal "Marmocet 1"
PA Flag Proposal "Howard J Wilk" #3
PA Flag Proposal "Peregrine #1"
PA Flag Proposal "Peregrine #2"
PA Flag Proposal "Peregrine #2" modified by Ben Karnell
PA Flag Proposal "SonofSibir #2"
Pennsylvania Flag Proposal by Zolntsa
PA Flag Proposal "Emiss 2"
PA Flag Proposal by Kermitdefrog
PA Flag Proposal "Hellerick 1"
PA Flag Proposal "BigRed618"
Pennsylvania flag proposal 3 by Hans. Based on Tibbetts' and BigRed's flags. Jan 2015. (details)
Pennsylvania flag proposal 4 by Hans. Based on BigRed's flag. Jan 2017. (details)
Pennsylvania flag proposal 5 by Hans. Based on BigRed's flag. Jan 2017. (details)
Penn's Keystone State 1 by Newresnow
Keystone and Arms
Flag with William Penn's arms on the left and keystone on the right. By Leonardo Iannelli.
Flags featuring the Pennsylvania coat of arms (currently featured on official flag)
Flag Design proposal currently under consideration by Pennsylvania Legislature.
PA Flag Proposal "Manonpinkcorner #1"
PA Flag Proposal "Manonpinkcorner 3"
PA Flag Proposal "Zephyr"
PA Flag Proposal "R.O.T."
PA Flag Proposal - Multiple Independent Designers
PA Flag Proposal "Glen"
Pennsylvania State Flag Proposal No. 11 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 01 SEP 2014
Pennsylvania State Flag Proposal No. 15 Designed By: Stephen Richard Barlow 01 SEP 2014
Pennsylvania flag proposal by Arminius13
Flag Proposal #1 by Dean Thomas. Armoral Banner of the State Arms (center shield)
Other flag proposals
PA Flag Proposal "Dutchie"
PA Flag Proposal "Lizard-Socks"
PA Flag Proposal "Akhenaten"
PA Flag Proposal "FlagFreak"
PA Flag Proposal "Bezbojnicul"
PA Flag Proposal "Aedgar777 1"
PA Flag Proposal "Aedgar777 2"
PA Flag Proposal "ah-sue"
PA Flag Proposal "zymologist"
Pennsylvania State Flag Simplistic Proposal By Ed Mitchell
PA Flag Proposal "Flag-ellation"
by Lesometa.
Pennsylvania flag proposal by James Dignan, January 2015.
Most common symbolism
Keystone
Pennsylvania received the nickname "The Keystone State" in reference to its importance in early American history. It was located in the center of the original thirteen states, between the North and the South. Many documents, like the United States Declaration of Independence, were signed in the state. The state was also an economical "keystone", concentrating both industry, like northern states, and agriculture, like southern states. The keystone currently appears in all kinds of official imagery, such as road signs, car license plates, the government website, logos of government departments, and the state quarter. It is central to many flag proposals as well. In some designs, it's substituted by keys.
William Penn's coat of arms
William Penn was the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, which became the current Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1783. During his government, the city of Philadelphia was planned and developed. Moreover, he was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom.
In his honor, Pennsylvania received the "Quaker State" nickname, in reference to Penn's belonging in the quaker movement.
Penn family's coat of arms can be blazoned as "argent, on a fess sable three plates",[1] i.e., white with three white circles on a black horizontal stripe.
Colors
The unofficial state colors of Pennsylvania are blue and gold.[2]