| Wisconsin | |
| Use: | 110000 |
| Proportion: | 2:3 |
| Adoption: | [1] |
| Design: | A blue field charged with the state coat of arms below the word Wisconsin in white at the top and the year 1848 in white at the bottom. |
The state flag of Wisconsin was first adopted in 1863, and was modified in 1979. It is a blue flag charged with the state coat of arms of Wisconsin.
The flag field is navy blue with the Wisconsin coat of arms in the center, and the words "Wisconsin" in all capital letters above and "1848" below the seal in a bold white font. On the top of the coat of arms, there is a badger, and the state motto "Forward". In the center, on the shield, there is a plow to represent farming, a pick and shovel to represent mining, an arm and hammer representing manufacturing, and an anchor representing navigation. In the center of the shield is the United States coat of arms. The shield is supported by a sailor and a yeoman, both representing labor on land and on water. On the bottom there is a cornucopia, representing prosperity, and there are 13 lead ingots representing both mineral wealth and the original 13 colonies of the United States.
The state flag is officially described by law as:
The North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) conducted a survey in 2001 that ranked Wisconsin's flag as one of the worst in design. Amongst the 72 U.S. state, U.S. territorial and Canadian provincial flags, Wisconsin's ranked 65th (8th worst).[2] NAVA criticized the unoriginality of "[state] seal on blue bed-sheet" design, which is currently used by nearly half of the flags of U.S. states; Wisconsin is one of 22 U.S. states that use a blue flag with the state arms or seal on them.
The flag of Wisconsin was adopted in 1863, following requests from Civil War regiments for battlefield use. The legislature formed a committee to choose the specifications for the flag, which was the state coat of arms centered on a field of dark blue. This design was similar to the ones in use by regiments. In 1913, it was formally added to the Wisconsin Statues, which specified the design of the state flag.[3]
In 1941, Carl R. Eklund reported that he raised the state flag over Antarctica, at the behest of Wisconsin Governor Julius P. Heil, about 500 miles north of the South Pole and 620 miles into a previously unexplored area.[4] In 1958, Eklund flew another flag over Antarctica which he presented for display in a state museum.[5] In 1953, state assemblyman William N. Belter of Wautoma criticized the flag as too costly because of the details.[6]
Astronaut James Lovell, who grew up in Milwaukee, carried Wisconsin flags with him on at least two of his space flights; one aboard Gemini 7 in 1965 and another on Apollo 13.[7] [8] The Gemini 7 flag was presented to Governor Warren Knowles in a ceremony at the state capitol the following year, and the Apollo 13 flag was sold at auction in 2021.
In 1973, when the state senate was attempting to add the word Wisconsin to the flag, it was criticized as already too cluttered.[9] In 1975, some state flags were being sold that improperly had the state seal on them instead of the state coat of arms. Wisconsin Secretary of State Douglas J. La Follette noted that the correct state flag did not have the banner of thirteen stars at the bottom.[10]
In order to distinguish it from the many other blue U.S. state flags, Wisconsin's flag was modified in 1979 to add "Wisconsin" and "1848", the year Wisconsin was admitted to the Union.[11] [12] The legislation specified that the new design was to take effect on May 1, 1981, and all Wisconsin state flags manufactured after that date were required to use the modified design.