New York State Coat of Arms

The Great Seal is provided here for educational purposes only.

General Description of the New York State Coat of Arms

The arms of New York State were officially adopted in 1778. The center shows a ship and sloop on a river bordered by a grassy shore and a mountain range with the sun rising behind it. Liberty and Justice stand on either side, under an American eagle.

Liberty holds a staff topped with a Phrygian cap, symbolic of the cap given to a Roman slave upon the formal act of emancipation and freedom. This cap was adopted by French revolutionists as a symbol of liberty, especially in the U.S. before 1800.

The figure of Justice is blindfolded and carries a sword in one hand and scales in the other.

These symbols represent the impartiality and fairness required for the assignment of a merited reward or punishment.The banner shows the State motto–Excelsior–which means “Ever Upward.”

Source: New York Department of State

 

 

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Historical Versions of the New York State Coat of Arms

We originally found very limited information on the history of the New York State Coat of Arms. The Secretary of State mentions briefly that there were various versions used in the creation of the New York State Seal. The second version of the State Seal “…was the Arms and Seal complete, devised by Governor George Clinton and Chancellor Livingston in 1778.” The earliest version of the seal that we originally found was from the American Heraldry Society, that has an image of the NYS Coat of Arms posted from 1792.

The Secretary of State mentions that a total of five versions of the seal were made before the current version was designated as the fifth and final design in 1882, and it sounded to us as though at least three different coat of arms were designed during this time. We found another version of the New York State Coat of Arms in a A history of Long Island in an octavo volume of 536 pages, by B. F. Thompson, Esq., Published by S. Tuttle, 194 Chatham-Square 1841 from LongIslandGeneology.com. This version was interesting to us because it shows the side figures reversed from their current locations in seated positions.

We found an article on Facebook by the Port Byron Historian, entitled New York’s Coat of Arms. In his post he mentions that the New York State Coat of Arms was based on a regimental flag, and he made reference to a pamphlet from the 1800s.

Google has digitized a copy of the pamphlet which recounts the reading of a historical essay, The Correct Arms of The State of New York, at the Albany Institute in 1880. In it the author mentions that a state appropriation was made to secure a copy of of a regimental flag that was carried at the surrender of Yorktown, and was later given to General Gansevoort at Albany. The 1879 appropriation specified it was “[f]or the secretary of State, for the purchase of a colored picture of the arms of the State, taken from a flag borne a Yorktown by the American army in 1781, to be deposited in the State Library, the sum of fifty dollars.”
You can see that the figures, and the eagle, are in the same reversed position as the 1841 image. There is also a swirly, leafy element that curls around the heads of the two female figures, which is also visible in the drawing of the NYS Coat of Arms shown on the cover of the pamphlet below, which was drawn in 1778, a year after the flag was given to General Gansevoort.

The pamphlet (see below) is a fascinating journey through the history of an image that is used everyday in the state of New York, and yet whose history is all but forgotten. The author, Henry A. Homes, sums up the meaning of the New York Coat of Arms quite eloquently:

The briefest summary of the meaning of our Arms is, that the shield symbolizes in the full sun the name and idea of Old York and the old world; the mountains, river and meadow, with the ships, convey the name and idea of the New York of the new world. This New York is supported by Justice and Liberty, and discards monarchy. By exhibiting the eastern and western continents on a globe, the old and new are brought together, while the eagle of the crest proclaims, ” Westward the course of empire takes its way.”

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The Correct Arms of the State of New York…

Note: If you scroll to the end of the following pamphlet, you will see the four images that the author considered valid versions of the New York State Coat of Arms.

 

 

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NYS Article 6, Heraldic Description of the New York Coat of Arms

Charge. Azure, in a landscape, the sun in fess, rising in splendor or°, behind a range of three mountains, the middle one the highest; in base a ship and sloop under sail, passing and about to meet on a river, bordered below by a grassy shore fringed with shrubs, all proper.
Crest. On a wreath azure and or, an American eagle proper, rising to the dexter° from a two-thirds of a globe terrestrial, showing the north Atlantic ocean
with outlines of its shores.
Supporters. On a quasi compartment formed by the extension of the scroll:
Dexter. The figure of Liberty proper, her hair disheveled and decorated with pearls, vested azure, sandaled gules, a mantle of the last depending from the shoulders behind to the feet, in the dexter hand a staff ensigned with a Phrygian cap or, the sinister arm embowed, the hand supporting the shield at the dexter chief point, a
royal crown by her sinister foot dejected.
Sinister. The figure of Justice proper, her hair disheveled and decorated with pearls, vested or, about the waist a cincture° azure, fringed gules, sandaled and mantled as Liberty, bound about the eyes with a fillet proper, in the dexter hand a
straight sword hilted or, erect, resting on the sinister chief point of the shield, the sinister arm embowed, holding before her her scales proper.
Motto. On a scroll below the shield argent, in sable, Excelsior (Ever Upward).

The following description of the Coat of Arms is provided for those who may be unfamiliar with heraldic terms:
Shield. A blue, unclouded sky with the golden sun and its rays centered behind a range of three mountains, the middle one the highest; below, a ship and
sloop under sail, facing each other and about to meet on a river, bordered by a grassy shore fringed with shrubs, all in natural colors.
Crest (above the shield). On a wreath of blue and gold, an American eagle in its natural colors, facing toward the right (considered a good omen) above a
two-thirds global drawing of Earth, showing the north Atlantic Ocean with outlines of its shores.
Supporters (the two figures on the outside of the shield) appear to be joined with the shield as a unit formed by the extension of the scroll:
On the right side of the shield. The figure of Liberty in natural colors, her unbound hair decorated with pearls. She is clothed in blue with red sandals, a loose robe of red hanging down from her shoulders to her feet. In her right hand, she holds a staff topped with a gold Phrygian cap; her left arm is bent at the elbow, the hand supporting the shield at its top right. A royal crown lies at her left foot, thrown down to illustrate the lessening of power of the English monarchy.
On the left side of the shield. The figure of Justice in natural colors, her unbound hair decorated with pearls. She is clothed in gold with a blue belt fringed in red, wearing sandals and a robe as Liberty and bound about the eyes with a narrow band of cloth. In her right hand she holds a gold handled sword, held erect, and resting on the top
left point of the shield; left arm is also bent at the elbow, holding scales in front of herself.
Motto. On a silver scroll below the shield, in black type, the word “Excelsior” (Ever Upward).

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Glossary of the Heraldic Terms in the NYS Coat of Arms

NYW Coat of Arms black/white - Image courtesy of NYS Department of State - Division of Administrative Rules

• Argent — a metallic color in heraldry° to represent silver
• Azure — the heraldic color blue; or unclouded sky
• Charge — a shield or armor-like insignia
• Chief point — at the top or uppermost part of the shield
• Cincture — a belt; or girdle
• Crest — a heraldic device shown above the shield
• Dejected — thrown down; also, lowered in rank
• Depending — hanging down
• Dexter — right; relating to the side of the shield to the right of the person holding it; or facing toward the right, considered a good omen
• Disheveled — marked by disorder or disarray
• Fillet — a narrow band of material or cloth
• Fess — a broad bar drawn horizontally across the middle of a heraldic shield; in fess — in a line in a direction of a fess
• Gules — the heraldic color red
• Heraldry — an armor-like ensign or insignia
• Justice — means the quality of being just, impartial or fair
• Liberty — the personification of freedom, the power of choice
• Mantle — a loose sleeveless garment worn over other clothes
• Or — golden color or a shade of yellow
• Phrygian cap — symbolic of the cap given to a Roman slave upon the formal act of emancipation and freedom
• Proper — represents natural colors
• Sable — the heraldic color black
• Sinister — left; relating to the side of the shield to the left of the person holding it; or facing toward the left; (evil)
• Supporters — the two figures placed on each side of a shield and exterior to it
• Terrestrial — constituting or representing the Earth
• Vested — clothed in

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Download the New York Coat of Arms Heraldic Fact Sheet