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Baltimore City, Maryland (U.S.)

Last modified: 2009-07-26 by rick wyatt
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[Flag of Baltimore City] image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 29 January 2008

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Description of the flag

The flag officially adopted by Mayor Preston and the Municipal Flag Commission was blazoned: Paly of six Or and sable, a bend counterchanged, on an inescutcheon Sable, within an orle of the first, a representation of Baltimore's Battle Monument Argent [The orle was drawn much thinner than usual].
Bob Barnes (reference archivist at Maryland State Archives), 9 January 1998

The NAVA image at http://www.nava.org/Flag%20Design/City%20Survey%202004/city_flag_photos/Baltimore.jpg has slight differences, some of which are incorrect considering the official description: The image used in American Flag Survey (2004) has a white (very narrow) bordure, instead of a golden orle. Furthermore its ratio is slightly squarer than 2:3 and the escutcheon is not rounded at its bottom-side corners — these two features do not contradict the legal text, though are unusual.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 29 January 2008

Pre-1914 Flag

In 1898 the cruiser Baltimore, at Manila in the Philippines, flew a flag consisting of a blue field charged with Baltimore's Battle Monument in white, encircled by a wreath in green. On a canton was the Calvert shield with the motto of Maryland. (Baltimore Sunday Sun, 14 Feb 1915).
Bob Barnes (reference archivist at Maryland State Archives), 9 January 1998

[Pre-1914 flag of Baltimore City] image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 29 January 2008

For some time before the present flag was adopted the city used a banner Azure, charged with the Battle Monument Argent (Baltimore News, 7 June 1915).

Keith W. Murray proposal

[Pre-1914 flag of Baltimore City] image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 29 January 2008

The flag aroused a controversy over whether it was heraldically correct to place a Sable inescutcheon on a Sable field. A letter was written to the College of Arms in London, and Keith W. Murray, Portcullis Pursuivant, replied that the flag was heraldically correct since the field was party Or and Sable; thus the tincture rule was not violated. Mr. Murray added that since the orle had no diminutive, it might be better to change the inescutcheon to Azure (The Baltimore News, 3 Dec 1914; Baltimore Sunday Sun, 16 May 1915).
Bob Barnes (reference archivist at Maryland State Archives), 9 January 1998

Clayton C. Hall proposal

[Pre-1914 flag of Baltimore City] image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 29 January 2008

Two other designs had been submitted to the Municipal Flag Commission, and Pursuivant Murray pronounced them both heraldically correct. Clayton C. Hall proposed the flag should be; Azure, a representation of the Battle Monument Argent, on a canton the Calvert Arms.
Bob Barnes (reference archivist at Maryland State Archives), 9 January 1998

R. H. Spencer proposal

[Pre-1914 flag of Baltimore City] image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 29 January 2008

R. H. Spencer proposed: Paly of six Or and Sable, a bend counterchanged, and on a quarter Azure, the Battle Monument (Baltimore Sunday Sun, 16 May 1915).
Bob Barnes (reference archivist at Maryland State Archives), 9 January 1998

Detail of emblem

[Flag of Baltimore City] image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 28 January 2008

Battle Monument

Baltimore Orioles Baseball Team

[Flag of Baltimore Orioles] by Rick Wyatt, 22 May 1997
1997 Orioles Team Flag

[Flag of Baltimore Orioles] by Rick Wyatt, 14 January 1999
1998 Orioles Team Flag

These commercially sold flags are simply LOBs, the current logo on a background.
Rick Wyatt, 22 May 1997