From today’s wikipedia…
"A lithograph from 1876, showing the seals of the then-47 U.S. states and territories as well as the District of Columbia. Some of these seals have changed since this image was created."
Check it out here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Emblems_of_USA_1876_(original).jpg
Full state seals page is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seals_of_the_U.S._states
Reeeally makes you wonder what they’re thinking (if anything) in Alabama with a state seal that is basically a map.
Additional note:
I found it interesting that Wyoming Territory had arms on the 1876 lithograph, (bottom center) even though the modern state does not.
Maybe something we could add to the official heraldry in the US page?
Also found this one interesting:
Mark Olivo;64234 wrote:
Reeeally makes you wonder what they’re thinking (if anything) in Alabama with a state seal that is basically a map.
The map on the seal was to let Alabamans know that they had not wandered out of their state after a night of drinking moonshine.
Here’s a postcard with a different version of the same idea:
arriano;64238 wrote:
Here’s a postcard with a different version of the same idea:
Could you post a link, so I can take a closer look? I think I see a few differences between the two.
I like the way they have "mounted" the crest above the arms of Delaware…
Mark Olivo;64258 wrote:
Could you post a link, so I can take a closer look? I think I see a few differences between the two.
Not that I think you’ll be able to see them any better, but….
http://www.cardcow.com/146270/arms-of-the-states-and-territories-of-the-american-union-patriotic
Mark Olivo;64234 wrote:
Reeeally makes you wonder what they’re thinking (if anything) in Alabama with a state seal that is basically a map.
Well, what they were thinking in the 1930s when the present seal was (re)adopted was how absurd it had been to be using a seal (as shown on these lithographs) that was basically an emblazonment of the arms of the United States.
The original seal of Alabama was adopted in 1817, if I recall my dates right, when the former Mississippi Territory was divided into the State of Mississippi and the newly organized Alabama Territory. The territorial governor at that time was authorized to adopt a seal, and he adopted a rough map of the territory showing its rivers (the most salient feature of the area in early 19th-century eyes—the territory had more miles of navigable rivers than any state in the Union, a major economic asset at the time).
Between statehood in 1819 and the conclusion of the War between the States, Alabama frequently used a device showing a map of the state, with the rivers marked, nailed to the trunk of a live oak tree. This sometimes appeared alone, as in the lower right corner of this $50 bill:
http://www.deerrunmercantile.com/ProductImages/alabamaconfederatemoney/al50dol471F.jpg
On a shield, as a coat of arms, as on the flag of Company D, 4th Alabama Infantry:
http://www.archives.state.al.us/referenc/flags/images/8626771b.jpg
Or on a circle, as on state militia uniform buttons and belt buckles:
http://hanoverbrass.com/images/041901/TgcsAlabama.jpg
This design is shown in many antebellum references as the arms or seal of Alabama, but a study done by the state archivist in 1930 indicated that all the known pre-war seal impressions simply showed a map filling the entire surface of the seal, with no tree shown, leading to the conclusion that use of the tree had never been officially authorized. (I think I would contend that the state military department’s use of the tree on official insignia suggested that it was officially authorized, but that’s water under the bridge, or over the dam, or in any case that has long since flowed into Mobile Bay.)
In 1865-66, when the Reconstruction military government was established, the old seal was replaced by one showing a bald eagle resting upon a US shield, similar to many federal departmental seals of the time, and closely resembling that still used by the Department of Justice. Eventually, this emblem, seen as being imposed by the victors, became a matter of some resentment, and it was replaced in 1939 by what was intended as a reinstatement of the original 1817 seal, although the artistic rendering differs slightly.
Mark Olivo;64236 wrote:
Additional note:
I found it interesting that Wyoming Territory had arms on the 1876 lithograph, (bottom center) even though the modern state does not.
Maybe something we could add to the official heraldry in the US page?
If you mean as an article on the history of Wyoming heraldry, sure—provided (a) that someone will research and write one, and (b) that that someone can prove that the arms shown on the lithograph are real, and not just the figment of an eastern imagination. Not everything on the print is correct—Connecticut’s arms have grapevines, not trees—so I’m not sure how reliable it can be considered as a source.
