The Seal of the City of Los Angeles is, since 1905, the official

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

of the

City of Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, a city located in the southern portion of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The escutcheon is encircled by the legal name of the city (City of Los Angeles) and year founded (1781). It was adopted on March 27, 1905, via Ordinance 10,834.

Symbolism

The

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...

of the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

, as declared in the 1905 ordinance, is: Inside the ribbon, flanking the escutcheon, are

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...

s, olives, and

oranges An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus × ...

, major crops of California, on their plants. These are also symbolized in the colors of the

flag of Los Angeles The city flag of Los Angeles consists of a background of three notched stripes of green, gold and red. The flag was designed by Roy E. Silent and E.S. Jones in 1931 for the Los Angeles sesquicentennial from 1781. The flag evokes mixed reactions, ...

. The fruit are on a field or, bordered with a 77-bead rosary, which presents

Spanish missions in California The Spanish missions in California ( es, Misiones españolas en California) comprise a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. Founded by Catholic priests ...

. The arms are

quarterly A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combination ...

: * 1st quarter: the lesser coat of arms of the United States. A field paleways of thirteen pieces

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to ...

and gules; chief, azure charged with thirteen five rays argent. * 2nd quarter: the flag of the California Republic (1846) A field argent with a bear gules at bay, five rays gules, and fess base gules, sans text and ground. * 3rd quarter: the coat of arms of Mexico (1823-1864). An eagle displayed reguardant and biting a serpent, symbolizing Mexican rule from 1822 until 1846. * 4th quarter: the lesser coat of arms of Spain (1785-1873). The coats of arms of Castile and León, symbolizing

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

rule from 1542 until 1821.

References

The City Seal of Los Angeles
at the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

The Forgotten Legacy of Los Angeles, the “City of Vines”
at the

California Historical Society The California Historical Society (CHS) is the official historical society of California. It was founded in 1871, by a group of prominent Californian intellectuals at Santa Clara University. It was officially designated as the Californian state ...

Understanding The Los Angeles City Seal
at ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

External links

Seal of the City of Los Angeles
at the City of Los Angeles (lacity.org) {{DEFAULTSORT:Los Angeles, Seal Of 1905 establishments in California Coats of arms with bears Coats of arms with buildings Coats of arms with cacti Coats of arms with crowns Coats of arms with eagles Coats of arms with flags Coats of arms with fruit Coats of arms with grapes Coats of arms with lions Coats of arms with snakes Coats of arms with stars

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

Municipal coats of arms in California Official seals of places in California Symbols introduced in 1905

Symbolism

See also

References

External links