New York state flag featuring the state's coat of arms on a field of deep blue. Photo by JeromeG111 / Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution/no derivative works).
Official State Flag of New York
The New York state flag features the state's coat of arms on a field of deep blue. Although the state flag wasn't adopted until 1901, New York's coat of arms was officially adopted in 1778 (the state seal also features New York's coat of arms). All State Flags
Symbols on the Flag
The center shield displays a masted ship and a sloop on the Hudson River river (symbols of inland and foreign commerce), bordered by a grassy shore and a mountain range in the background with the sun rising behind it. A banner below shows New York's state motto ("Excelsior," Latin for "ever upward").
Liberty and Justice support the shield and an American bald eagle spreads its wings above on a world globe. Liberty's left foot treads on a crown (a symbol of freedom from the Kingdom of Great Britain). Justice is blindfolded and holds a sword in one hand and a scale in the other, symbolizing impartiality and fairness.
