Maryland’s state flag is so bad it’s good!

Zany. That’s a good word to describe Maryland’s crazy state flag. It’s a bit psychedelic when the wind blows it around.

Folks seem to love it or despise it, but no one disputes its uniqueness. The Maryland flag defies all the “rules” of good flag design. Yet it works for Maryland.

In an online public opinion poll hosted by Ranker, a digital media company, participants rate Maryland’s state flag as the best in the land.

 

“Maryland’s flag is the only ‘heraldic banner’ among the 50 U.S. state flags,” wrote Mikaela Lefrak of WAMU, a National Public Radio station in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, owned by American University. “The red, white, black and gold pattern is hard to forget.” 

Or is it gold, black, red and white? 

“The story of the Maryland state flag started about 400 years ago, and it’s one that fascinates historians, flag experts, design buffs and regular citizens,” Lefrak said. 

“Maryland’s flag is comprised of four distinct quadrants. The first and fourth are a strangely diagonal checkboard pattern of black and gold. This design comes from the coat of arms of Sir George Calvert, also known as the first Lord Baltimore,” she said. 

England’s King Charles I agreed to grant land in 1632 to Calvert to establish a haven for Roman Catholics in the New World. The province was named Maryland, after Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I. 

Sir George Calvert died, however, about two months before the deal was sealed, so Cecil Calvert, the eldest son, became the provincial proprietor. Cecil Calvert’s coat of arms embellished his father’s crest by also incorporating a red-and-white pattern from the Crossland family from his mother’s side. 

The Crossland’s “cross bottony” symbol was selected to fill the second and third quadrants of the Maryland flag. 

The office of Maryland’s secretary of state said the combination of bold colors creates a flag that “shouts ‘Maryland.’” 

People who poke fun at the “tackiness” of the competing elements within the Maryland flag also pick on Maryland for its weird geographic shape. “Maryland is the only state that looks like a gerrymandered district,” one person commented online. 

One of Maryland’s next-door neighbors – Washington, D.C. – has a flag that “follows the flag rules.” It’s simple, clean and elegant.

 

Washington’s white flag features three red stars above two red bars, borrowing from the heraldry in the coat of arms granted in 1592 to George Washington’s great-great-great-grandfather Lawrence Washington in Northamptonshire, England. 

The flag’s designer was Charles A.R. Dunn, a native Washingtonian, an illustrator with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He submitted his drawing in 1924. Congress finally got around to selecting his design for the flag in 1938. 

Maryland also borders Virginia. The design of Virginia’s state flag seems rather ho-hum at first glance. It’s blue with the state seal in the middle. 

The Roman goddess Virtus is depicted as victorious. Her foot is resting atop the torso of the defeated tyrant lying helpless on the ground. She symbolizes Virginia and he represents Britain.

 

The seal was designed in 1776 by a select committee of Virginia’s hall-of-fame patriots – George Mason, George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee and Robert Carter Nicholas. 

Egads. What were they thinking? Clearly, Virtus’ gown needs more fabric. 

Yes, Virginia, your state flag is ripe to be re-fashioned.

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