The flag of the city of Detroit was designed in 1907 by David E. Heineman and was officially adopted as the
city's
flag in 1948. The flag's design has been slightly altered several times in the years since, the most recent in 2000.
Design
The flag has the city
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 impr ...
emblazoned on quartered background, with each section representing a country that once controlled
Detroit. The lower
hoist
Hoist may refer to:
* Hoist (device), a machine for lifting loads
* Hoist controller, a machine for raising and lowering goods or personnel by means of a cable
* Hydraulic hooklift hoist, another machine
* Hoist (mining), another machine
* Hoist ( ...
(left) quarter represents
France, which founded the fort and settlement in 1701; it has five 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 ...
on a white field, imitating the
Royal Standard of France. The upper
fly (right) quarter represents
Great Britain, which controlled the fort from 1760 to 1796; it has three gold
lions on a red field, imitating the
Royal Arms of England
The royal arms of England are the arms first adopted in a fixed form at the start of the age of heraldry (circa 1200) as personal arms by the Plantagenet kings who ruled England from 1154. In the popular mind they have come to symbolise the ...
. The lower fly has 13 red and white stripes and the upper hoist has 13 white stars on a blue field, representing the original
thirteen colonies
The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centuri ...
of the United States.
Symbolism
The two Latin mottos read and , meaning "We hope for better things" and "It will rise from the ashes", which was written by
Gabriel Richard after the
Great Fire of 1805
The Great Fire of 1805 occurred on , in the city of Detroit, in the Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when th ...
. The seal is a representation of the Detroit fire which occurred on June 11, 1805. The fire caused the entire city to burn with only one building saved from the flames. The figure on the left weeps over the destruction while the figure on the right gestures to the new city that will rise in its place.
History
In the original design of the flag, the seal was oval. In the early 1970s, the flag was redesigned and the seal was changed to a circle. In 1976, the colors were standardized using the Pantone Matching System, and in approximately 2000, the seal was again changed to reduce the number of colors.
See also
*
Flag of Michigan
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
External links
Photograph of the Detroit city flag in 1972Photograph of the Detroit city flag in 1976Photograph of the Detroit city flag in 1983Photograph of the Detroit city flag in 1983
{{DEFAULTSORT:Detroit, Michigan, Flag of
Flag
Flags of cities in Michigan
Flags introduced in 1948
1948 establishments in Michigan
Flags displaying animals