Talk:Flag and seal of Virginia

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Virginia Top‑importance

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A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

Virginia Department of Corrections Logo.png

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 15:37, 31 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Shouldn't the motto on the Reverse, Perseverando, be By Persevering

Sorry if this is improperly formatted; this is my first edit. Currently the section about the reserve says, "the motto gracing the reverse with its trio of Libertas, Ceres, and Aeternitas is Perseverando, or in English, Persevering." I'm fairly certain that the motto should translate as "By Persevering" because it is an ablative singular gerund. I hope this is helpful; I don't want to go and mess something up on accident. IisChas (talk) 13:20, 9 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The Mona Lisa.

The original female form. 166.196.93.22 (talk) 03:12, 25 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Incorrect Seal displayed twice.

The flag displayed in the quick details on the top-right has the incorrect seal. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_and_seal_of_Virginia#/media/File:Flag_of_Virginia.svg)

Along with the seal displayed under 'Legal description of Seal' which appears to just be a cut of the previous image.

User: Nux has reverted to this incorrect design after being corrected otherwise. Hizuzozen (talk) 21:06, 26 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

So I saw that, and reverted Nux (talk · contribs)'s change. I know the old one is poorly drawn, but it did seem to be what was used around the web. But then the more I looked into it, it seemed to me that the older, less artistic version of the flag and seal, taken from a long dead SVG repository of flags, is also problematic and not entirely accurate. I'm very worried about a wag the dog situation, where other sources that I want to trust have just taken their flag from Wikipedia, and it's become a feedback loop.

So now I've self-reverted to the version Nux had uploaded, based on previous versions by Kintetsubuffalo (talk · contribs) and LadyofHats (talk · contribs) since I can't defend the one I was reverting to. Not to say that theirs is correct, but that neither really is and I don't want to be the one enforcing something that's wrong. What I'll say is that photographs of the flag on the Virginia state capital grounds (example 1, example 2) do seem to show a flag that's close to the older version, but admittedly isn't the same. Not sure how we get that one though. Ideas? Patrick Neil, _oѺ^∞/Talk 20:38, 27 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry to blunt, hopefully not talking about work of anyone present, but that sword in the previous version is an abomination ;). I mean someone clearly didn't put much time in vectorisation of the graphic and probably didn't know or didn't care what the sword actually is (see picture to the left and e.g. some other variants, cointalk). I actually went through more versions, but most had that blunt, rounded tip of the sheath in common. And it has to be short (kind of like gladius).

Please have a look at the seal from 1894. The 1894 version is quite similar in terms of the main figure's (Virginia) pose and the position of the sword. Note that for this version you can be sure that it has not been distorted by the online versions.

And finally I want to note that most of the work is not mine, most of the image is by user:LadyofHats (see: Seal file history). The helmet also seemes more accurate in her version as the design of the flag and seal is inspired by ancient Rome and the golden helmet looks more like a Late Roman ridge helmet. That blue hat in the previous version doesn't look like a helmet to me at all. Nux (talk) 23:48, 27 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

As I closed the browser tabs, I looked at the helmet again... Maybe it's a bit too Greek? In fact, most of these historic seals had a plumed helmet. This is especially evident in the 1904 version. So I think it could probably be improved so that the character is looking to the side and has a golden helmet with a red plume. I might be able to do that if that is OK? Nux (talk) 00:41, 28 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I can reply to two things there. One, don't worry, you're not hurting anyone's feelings. That version of the flag was taken from another Wiki site that's been offline since 2013 or so, and the collection it comes from was last updated November 2005. The reason it was used was not because it was good, but because it was both an SVG and Public Domain. Many other U.S. state flags and seals come from this collection for the same reason. To create the seal SVG, all the way back in 2008, I just deleted the flag's blue background in Inkscape and uploaded that.

And then to reply to whether it's "OK" to, say, add a plume. And I think that gets to the question of "what is the goal here" exactly. Generally speaking, I don't want to be making decisions on Wikipedia. I want to find some decision that's already made by some authority outside Wikipedia and follow that. But I also see an argument that says "there is a law about what the seal and flag should look like and anything that follows the law is correct."

South Carolina found itself in this mess recently. They had a legal description of but no official template for the palmetto tree on their state flag. And if Virginia has an official template, I can't find it online. I linked to photographs of the flag that flies outside the state capital, but, as an amateur vexilologist, I do see an interesting opportunity for Wikipedia here to improve the flag visually. Like I noticed, so many sites, even official looking ones, take their flag and seal from Wikipedia. Maybe Wikipedia's version should be better? -- Patrick Neil, _oѺ^∞/Talk 14:56, 28 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Usually, at least in Poland, when you draw coats of arms or flags, you just follow the description. I'm not an expert, but I remember discussions of people who are very much into heraldry and from what I remember this is a general rule of heraldry. Sometimes the law may even stipulate a specific color to be used on the flag (in Polish law there is a specific red shade). Sometimes there may also be a model picture in the annex to the act or resolution. In other cases AFAIK if it is not there, then the description is followed. Nux (talk) 16:21, 28 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

So if you were going to make changes to that User:LadyofHats design, I would point out the the law says our Amazonian warrior needs to have "her head erect and face upturned". This version clearly has her looking down at the fallen tyrant. I might also mention that I am most used to seeing the tyrant's crown with the points upward, rather than downward. I'll also include another IRL photo of the seal to the right here that, although not colored, is certainly what folks in Richmond felt it should look like. Patrick Neil, _oѺ^∞/Talk 17:02, 28 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

OK. I think head transplant went rather well. Hopefully no laws against that ;). I like the second head better, but this one does look more like this seal-badge on the ground on the photo. I also changed the position of the crown. Nux (talk) 22:29, 28 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion continued on commons and ended I think in much more law and history accurate version. Thanks to LadyOfHats and Patrick. Have a good day :) Nux (talk) 18:36, 2 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]