Wisconsin State Flag

The Wisconsin state flag is the official flag of the state of Wisconsin. A navy blue field forms the background. The coat of arms depicts a sailor, a miner, a shield, and a badger at the crest. The word WISCONSIN appears in white capital letters above the coat of arms. The year 1848 appears below in white.

A badger sits on top of the coat of arms with the state motto Forward. The shield shows symbols of farming, mining, manufacturing, and navigation. A sailor and a yeoman support the shield on either side. A cornucopia and thirteen lead ingots appear at the bottom.

The Wisconsin state flag meaning comes from symbols depicting Wisconsin's core industries, agriculture, and civic heritage. Each element on the coat of arms reflects an important aspect of Wisconsin's identity and industries.

The motto Forward expresses Wisconsin's progressive spirit. The badger represents the state nickname and mining heritage. The shield symbols show the state's major industries. The sailor and yeoman represent labor on water and land, linking directly to Wisconsin's state motto page.

Wisconsin adopted its first state flag in 1863. Civil War regiments requested a battlefield flag. The legislature formed a committee to choose specifications. The design featured the state coat of arms centered on a dark blue field. This matched designs already used by Wisconsin regiments.

The legislature formally added the flag to Wisconsin Statutes in 1913. The design remained unchanged for decades. Astronaut James Lovell carried Wisconsin flags on Gemini 7 in 1965 and Apollo 13 in 1970. Critics noted the flag lacked distinction from other blue state flags.

The legislature modified the flag in 1979. The new design added WISCONSIN and 1848 in white text. These additions helped distinguish Wisconsin's flag from other state flags. The modification took effect on May 1, 1981. All flags manufactured after that date required the new design and strengthened the Badger State branding.

The Wisconsin state flag uses navy blue as the background. The coat of arms contains multiple colors including gold, red, white, and flesh tones. The text WISCONSIN and 1848 appear in white, with palette overlap explained in Wisconsin's state colors overview.