States101 
Virginia
State Flag
The Virginia flag was formally adopted on February 1, 1950. Since, Virginia has maintained the same flag for the last 74 years.
The Virginia flag was voted 39th best out of 51 Flags ranked by the North American Vexillological Association.
The 4 main colors in the Virginia flag are #00297B, #FFFFFF, #FFD9C5, and #FF350F. The Virginia flag width is 1.5 times the height. Standard flag size is 3 feet x 4.5 feet.
We also provide high resolution and Scalar Vector Graph (SVG) downloadable images — free of charge. Go to Flag Downloads.
Buy Your Virginia State Flag Now!Virginia Flag
Colors
| #00297B | 72.3% |
| #FFFFFF | 15.5% |
| #FFD9C5 | 1.4% |
| #FF350F | 1% |
Description
Virginia's state flag proudly displays the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia centered on a rich blue field with a white border. The seal depicts Virtus, the genius of the Commonwealth, dressed in a toga, holding a spear in her right hand and in her left a sheathed sword. Virtus triumphantly places her left foot on the chest of Tyranny, represented by a man who lies defeated on the ground. Tyranny holds a piece of chain in his left hand and a scourge, or whip, in his right hand. On the ground beside Tyranny lays his fallen crown.
At the top, around the edge is the word "Virginia" and wrapping around the bottom is Virginia's state motto, "Sic Semper Tyrannis".
The Virginia state flag was specifically designed to look nothing like a coat of arms as this was the common practice in Great Britain at the time. Instead, they opted to base the flag and state seal on the Roman Republic, whom the Virginia legislature admired.
Meaning
Virginia's flag and state seal represent the victory of good over evil, the foundation upon which the state stands. Virginia's state motto, "Sic Semper Tyrannis", appears on the flag. This Latin phrase translates to "thus always to tyrants". This phrase means that tyrants will always try taking power and that Virginia prides itself on overcoming them. The two figures displayed illustrate this concept. The Latin phrase is often misattributed to Marcus Junius Brutus during the death of Julius Caesar. The phrase was actually coined much later. Dating back to before the civil war, some have joked that "Sic Semper Tyrannis" means "get off my neck."
History
Virginia's flag was first adopted in 1861 at the beginning of the American Civil War. However, the state seal, which is depicted on the flag, was designed by George Wythe in 1776 immediately after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The seal has changed designs over the years but the scene depicted in the seal has remained the same. The state flag and state seal were standardized by the Virginia legislature in February 1950.
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Download Virginia State Flag
Download Virginia State Flag as a high quality SVG file. Scaler Vector Images (SVGs) look good at any size. This flag can be used as tiny icons (height less than 50px) or you can make the flag huge (height over 2000px) and still look great!
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We also provide a large black and white Virginia Flag Line Drawings for download. This coloring-book style image are perfect for student activities.
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