Great Seal of the State of Washington

Washington entered the Union on November 11, 1889, as the 42nd state. The new state needed an official seal immediately. Charles Talcott, a jeweler working in Olympia, took on the task and produced the design under time pressure.

Talcott's process is unusually well documented for a state seal. He drew the outer circle using a brass army button and the inner ring using a silver dollar, then used India ink for the design. The portrait of George Washington was traced from a postage stamp rather than an original artwork. The result was functional but less refined than most state seals of the era.

The legislature has standardized the seal's proportions and rendering since 1889. The current authoritative description is codified in RCW 1.20.103, which specifies the design for all official uses.

The Washington state seal has fewer visual elements than most state seals. The composition centers on a portrait rather than a scene, with text and a date completing the design.

Washington's official state seal has retained its basic composition since 1889: George Washington's portrait at center, the state name in the ring, and the year of statehood below.

What changed over time was the rendering. Washington Territory used a completely different territorial seal before statehood. After 1889, printed and engraved state versions varied in line quality and proportions until the modern standard rendering designed by Richard Nelms in 1967 became the widely used official form.