Connecticut Flag

The Connecticut flag has perhaps one of the simplest designs of any American state flag. It consists of a simple design on top of a light blue background. In the middle of the Connecticut flag sits a white baroque shield along with three grapevines which each bear three bunches of purple grapes. The banner below the white shield of the Connecticut flag displays the state motto, “Qui Transtulit Sustinet” or, “He who transplants, sustains”.

The design for the Connecticut flag is directly derived from the seal of Saybrook Colony, when it was established in the year 1639. In the original Saybrook Colony seal, there was a display of 15 grapevines along with a hand in the upper left hand corner displaying the words “Sustinet qui transtulit”. The Saybrook Colony seal was eventually transferred to Connecticut in the year 1644, when Connecticut bought the colony.

On October 15, 1711, the seal was altered again. The Connecticut governor and legislature altered the seal to contain only 3 grapevines instead of the original 15. This was meant to symbolize the original 3 Connecticut settlements of Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford.

The Connecticut General Assembly of 1897 provided an official description of the Connecticut flag. The official dimensions of the flag are meant to be 5′ 6” in length and 4’4” in width. The official colors of the Connecticut flag are an azure blue silk background with the armorial bearing in argent white silk. The design of the crest on the Connecticut flag should be displayed in natural colors and the border of the shield should be embroidered in gold and silver. Below the shield should be a white streamer, cleft at each end, bordered in gold and brown. The motto on the streamer should also be dark blue in color.