The municipal flag of New Orleans is the representative banner of the U.S. city of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. The flag has a large white field that contains three gold

fleurs-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

and is bordered on the top by a red stripe and from below by a blue stripe. The presence of the

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

, a stylized depiction of a flower and a traditional French symbol, demonstrates the city's French heritage and strong ties to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

History

The City of New Orleans adopted its official flag in January 1918, having selected its design from nearly 400 ideas submitted to its Citizen's Flag Committee in preparation for the city's bicentennial celebration. The red, white, and blue flag emblazoned with gold

combined one proposal's suggested color scheme with decorative elements from another. The patriotic color scheme was suggested by Bernard Barry, then employed as an engraver at A. B. Griswold and Co., jewelers, and the

idea is attributed to Gustave Couret, a draftsman with the Diboll, Owen, and Goldstein architectural firm. The official flag of the City of New Orleans was named by the city council in January 1918.

Symbolism

The white field is the symbol of justice and the government, the blue stripe represents liberty, and the red stripe represents fraternity. In addition these are also the colors of the

flag of France The national flag of France (french: link=no, drapeau français) is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue ( hoist side), white, and red. It is known to English speakers as the ''Tricolour'' (), although the flag of Irelan ...

. The white field is five times the width of the stripes. The three

grouped in triangular form represent New Orleans under the principles of government, liberty, and fraternity.

References

Flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

Flags of cities in Louisiana Flags introduced in 1918 1918 establishments in Louisiana {{NewOrleans-stub __FORCETOC__