Shortly after 1776, states began to adopt their own official state seals, mottos, nicknames, and much more, which are all used to symbolize and represent the uniqueness of each state in the U.S.
A short amount of time before Washington became an official state in 1889, a committee created and brought a rather unusual state seal design to Olympia jeweller Charles Talcott and then proceeded to ask him to complete it within a certain amount of time, just in time for the meeting of the first Legislature in November 1889.
The initial design that was presented and submitted by the committee was incredibly complex, showcasing the port of Tacoma, with wheat fields, sheep feeding, and Mount Rainier, all incorporated into the proposed Washington state seal.
What Is The State Of Washington Seal?
It was argued by Talcott that the state seal design presented to the comittee was too complicated and would become quickly out-dated by the growth of the state. He proceeded to suggest a more simplistic design that would be, in his words “timeless”.
He then picked up an ink bottle and drew a circle around the base. After this he then placed a silver dollar in the circle and a drew an inner circle. Between both of the circles, he wrote the words “The Seal of the State of Washington, 1889”. Then, in the center he pasted a postage stamp of George Washington, shortly after this, the design was accepted by the Legislature becoming the official Washington state seal. It was really that simple!
Most states will have their seals showcase a relevant story, that is indicative of the facts about the state and its history, and the Evergreen State is certainly no different, embodying everything that Washington stands for.
