Flag of the State of Connecticut

The flag of the state of Connecticut is rectangular with a blue background. A shield appears in the center of the flag and a banner appears below the flag with the state’s motto: Qui Transtulit Sustinet (“He who transplanted still sustains”). The flag was adopted on September 9, 1897.

The shield on Connecticut’s state flag exemplifies the Rococo design with its many curves and fancy ornamentations. The shield has a gold border and five clusters of oak leaves and acorns. Three grapevines appear in the center of the shield. These natural elements contain important symbolic meaning for the state of Connecticut. Grapes are a symbol of good luck, happiness, and peace, and the vines symbolize strong and lasting friendships. The oak leaves and acorns represent antiquity, faith, endurance, and strength.

The flag of Connecticut’s design dates back to the original seal of Saybrook Colony, which was established in 1639 during the American colonial period. The seal contained 15 grapevines and a hand in the top left corner that contained a scroll. Connecticut’s state motto, Qui Transtulit Sustinet, was written on the scroll. The current state flag of Connecticut contains only three grapevines, which represent Connecticut’s oldest towns: Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford. The acorns and white oak leaves were also added to the current state flag, acknowledging that the Charter Oak is Connecticut’s state tree.

Unlike many other states, the Connecticut’s General Assembly adopted the state flag without much controversy or deliberation. When Connecticut had no official state flag in the late 1800s, the Anna Warner Bailey Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution received approval from Governor O. William Coffin to design a state flag. After the Daughters of the American Revolution designed the flag, Governor Coffin proposed the design to the Connecticut General Assembly on May 29, 1895, and the Assembly approved the design the same day. The flag was officially adopted in 1897.