Seal of Washington, D.C.

The Great Seal of the District of Columbia is the official insignia representing the city. It features George Washington standing on a pedestal, with a blindfolded woman holding a wreath next to him. In the background is the Potomac River and the United States Capitol.

Seal of Washington, D.C.
Versions
Historical coat of arms (1876)[1]
Armiger	Washington, D.C.
Adopted	1871 (1871)
Motto	Justitia Omnibus

The seal was designed by a commission authorized by Congress in 1871 after the creation of the territorial government for the District of Columbia. The exact individual designer of the seal is not clearly recorded, but the design was adopted by the Board of Commissioners overseeing the district at that time.

Design

The seal presents George Washington on a pedestal, his right hand holding a sword, and his left rests upon fasces — an axe within rods — representing the United States' Union.^[2] Standing on the right is a blindfolded woman,^[3] in her hand the constitution, representing justice.^[4] On her left, is an American bald eagle with agricultural products behind the latter. In the background is the Potomac River and the United States Capitol on the right, and a train and a sun on the right.^[5][6] Beneath it all, is written 1871 within a wreath.^[7] Under the wreath is written Justitia Omnibus on a scroll, which means Justice For All in Latin.^[8][9]

History

On August 31, 1871, the Council of the District of Columbia passed an act prescribing a design for a seal.^[10][11] This act was passed following a law creating a government for the district, which was adopted on February 21, 1871. When adopted, the seal lacked a description,^[12] however, and its designer was not clearly recorded. Initially, the seal depicted Lady Justice placing a wreath on the Statue of Freedom, which sat atop the Capitol dome.^[13] The office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia was in custody of the seal^[14] until a new act was passed on June 20, 1874, which put the insignia under the control of the Secretary to the Board of Commissioners.

In 1903, a new seal was adopted, similar to that of 1871. On the scroll of the seal was written Justitia Omnibus, the date on the wreath was 1871, and the word on the book that the lady was holding contained the word Constitution in three lines.^[15] The seal was used on numerous publications until May 15, 1979, when a mayor's memorandum discussing printing standards declared that it should be replaced by a logo representing the District of Columbia flag. This logo, called the "Stars and Bars," employs the three stars over two bars as depicted in the flag.^[16] In 1986, the control of the seal reverted to the office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia.

Usage

The use of the Great Seal of the District of Columbia is prohibited except if permission is obtained by the Secretary of the District of Columbia, the current holder of the insignia. The display or use of the seal is reserved for official purposes. All requests for permission to use or reproduce the Seal of the District of Columbia must be submitted in writing to the Secretary prior to its use by an agency head for any purpose. Determinations about the use of the Seal are solely within the discretion of the Secretary of the District of Columbia.^[17] The Mayor issues rules regarding the size and form of the seal.^[18]