Official Flag Adoption Date: March 5, 1923

The Washington state flag was passed in 1923, more than 30 years after Washington was admitted to the union. It is also the only state flag with a picture of a president, and it’s the only state flag that is green.

When the Washington Legislature approved a law setting forth the design of the official state flag, it stipulated that the flag “shall be of dark green silk or bunting, bearing in its center a reproduction of the seal of the state of Washington…” The original law allowed the option of using green fringe on the flag but two years later, the Legislature changed the fringe color to gold.

Flag’s Design

The emblem on the Washington state flag was first designed in 1889 by Olympia jeweler Charles Talcott. Talcott used an ink bottle and a silver dollar to draw the rings, and then pasted a postage stamp in the center for the picture of George Washington. His brother L. Grant Talcott lettered the words “The Seal of the State of Washington 1889″ and another brother, G. N. Talcott, cut the printing dye. In the image used on the state flag, the picture of George Washington has a blue background and is encircled by a gold ring with black lettering.