The Indiana flag 10-27-09

This blog entry is about the state flag of Indiana.

First, I'll talk about the colors used for this flag.

Blue, according to about.com, symbolizes "stability and unity", especially in this case.

Yellow, according to Wikipedia.com, symbolizes "warmth" and "friendship". Warmth is especially appropriate since the central icon on the flag is a torch.

Now I'll talk about the symbols within the flag.

There are 19 stars in the flag. The 19th one is below the word "Indiana", signifying that it is the 19th state in the United States. Each star represents a state at the time of Indiana's induction.
According to the Indiana Historical Society website:

"...Thirteen stars shall be arranged in an outer circle, representing the thirteen original states; five stars shall be arranged in a half circle below the torch and inside the outer circle of stars, representing the states admitted prior to Indiana; and the nineteenth star, appreciably larger than the others and representing Indiana shall be placed above the flame of the torch."(Indiana Historical Society)

As for the torch, the Indiana Historical Society website also says, "The torch in the center stands for liberty and enlightenment; the rays represent their far-reaching influence,"(Indiana Historical Society). The IHS website states that the flag was created in 1917, which is about 30 years after the Statue of Liberty(shown below) was created. The icon of the torch was also used in the Statue's creation.

Statue of Liberty

I probably wouldn't be surprised if the creator of Indiana's flag was inspired by the Statue of Liberty herself.

Works Cited

"Blue Color Meaning - Colors That Go with Blue and The Meaning of the Color Blue." Desktop Publishing - Tutorials and Software Recommendations for Desktop Publishing, Graphic Design, and Typography. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. [http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/colorselection/p/blue.htm].

"Yellow -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow].

Indiana Historical Society. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. [http://www.indianahistory.org/pop_hist/people/whatis.html#flag].