Municipal Flag of Chicago
Encyclopedia
The municipal flag of Chicago
consists of two blue horizontal stripes on a field of white, each stripe one-sixth the height of the full flag, and placed slightly less than one-sixth of the way from the top or bottom, respectively. Between the two blue stripes are four red, six-pointed stars arranged in a horizontal row. The stripes represent geographical features of the city, the stars symbolize historical events, and the points of the stars represent important virtues or concepts.
In a review by the North American Vexillological Association
of 150 American city flags, the Chicago city flag was ranked second best with a rating of 9.03 out of 10, behind only the flag of Washington, D.C.
sides of the city. The top blue stripe represents Lake Michigan
and the North Branch of the Chicago River
. The bottom blue stripe represents the South Branch of the Chicago River and the Great Canal
.
A possible fifth star has been proposed for the city flag on more than one occasion. The first occasion occurred in the 1940s when a letter to the Chicago Tribune asked that a fifth star to be added to the city flag in honor of going to the nuclear age. On another occasion, it was proposed in honor of Harold Washington
, the first African-American mayor of Chicago. A fifth star was discussed for the Chicago Flood that occurred in 1992. A proposal was put forward by the 2016 Olympic Games Bid Committee
; if the bid to host the games had been successful, a fifth star may have been added to the flag; however the Olympic bid was lost to Rio de Janeiro
.
Six-pointed stars are used because five-pointed stars
represent sovereign states, and because the star as designed is not found on any other flags.
appointed a municipal flag commission, chaired by Alderman James A. Kearnes. Among the commission members were wealthy industrialist Charles Deering
and impressionist painter Lawton S. Parker
. Parker asked lecturer and poet Wallace Rice
to develop the rules for an open public competition for the best flag design. Over a thousand entries were received. In the end, the commission chose the design by Wallace Rice himself. On April 4, 1917, the commission's recommendation was accepted by the city council.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
consists of two blue horizontal stripes on a field of white, each stripe one-sixth the height of the full flag, and placed slightly less than one-sixth of the way from the top or bottom, respectively. Between the two blue stripes are four red, six-pointed stars arranged in a horizontal row. The stripes represent geographical features of the city, the stars symbolize historical events, and the points of the stars represent important virtues or concepts.
In a review by the North American Vexillological Association
North American Vexillological Association
The North American Vexillological Association is a membership organization devoted to "vexillology as the scientific study of flags." Flag researchers, designers, collectors, activists, merchants, and other enthusiasts from the United States and Canada meet annually at NAVA meetings in order to...
of 150 American city flags, the Chicago city flag was ranked second best with a rating of 9.03 out of 10, behind only the flag of Washington, D.C.
Flag of Washington, D.C.
The flag of the District of Columbia, USA, consists of three red stars above two red bars on a white background. It is based on the design of the coat of arms of George Washington, first used to identify the family in the twelfth century, when one of George Washington's ancestors took possession of...
Stripes
The three white stripes of the flag represent, from top to bottom, the North, West and SouthSouth Side (Chicago)
The South Side is a major part of the City of Chicago, which is located in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Much of it has evolved from the city's incorporation of independent townships, such as Hyde Park Township which voted along with several other townships to be annexed in the June 29,...
sides of the city. The top blue stripe represents Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
and the North Branch of the Chicago River
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...
. The bottom blue stripe represents the South Branch of the Chicago River and the Great Canal
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, historically known as the Chicago Drainage Canal, is the only shipping link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system, by way of the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers...
.
Stars
The four red six-pointed stars on the center white stripe, from left to right (although this is not the order in which they were added to the flag):- The first star represents Fort DearbornFort DearbornFort Dearborn was a United States fort built in 1803 beside the Chicago River in what is now Chicago, Illinois. It was constructed by troops under Captain John Whistler and named in honor of Henry Dearborn, then United States Secretary of War. The original fort was destroyed following the Battle of...
. It was added to the flag in 1939. Its six points symbolize transportation, labor, commerce, finance, populousness, and salubrity.
- The second star stands for the Great Chicago FireGreat Chicago FireThe Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
of 1871, and is original to the 1917 design of the flag. Its six points represent the virtues of religion, education, aesthetics, justice, beneficence, and civic pride.
- The third star symbolizes the World's Columbian ExpositionWorld's Columbian ExpositionThe World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
of 1893, and is original to the 1917 design. Its six points stand for political entities Chicago has belonged to and the flags that have flown over the area: FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
1693, Great BritainKingdom of Great BritainThe former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
1763, Virginia 1778, the Northwest TerritoryNorthwest TerritoryThe Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
1798, Indiana TerritoryIndiana TerritoryThe Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
1802, and Illinois 1818.
- The fourth star represents the Century of ProgressCentury of ProgressA Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation...
Exposition (1933–1934), and was added in 1933. Its points refer to bragging rights: the United States' 2nd Largest City (became 3rd largest in 1990 census when passed by L.A.), Chicago's Latin Motto (Urbs in horto – City in a garden), Chicago's "I Will" Motto, Great Central Marketplace, Wonder City, Convention City.
A possible fifth star has been proposed for the city flag on more than one occasion. The first occasion occurred in the 1940s when a letter to the Chicago Tribune asked that a fifth star to be added to the city flag in honor of going to the nuclear age. On another occasion, it was proposed in honor of Harold Washington
Harold Washington
Harold Lee Washington was an American lawyer and politician who became the first African-American Mayor of Chicago, serving from 1983 until his death in 1987.- Early years and military service :...
, the first African-American mayor of Chicago. A fifth star was discussed for the Chicago Flood that occurred in 1992. A proposal was put forward by the 2016 Olympic Games Bid Committee
Chicago 2016 Olympic bid
The Chicago bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics was an unsuccessful campaign, first recognized by the International Olympic Committee on September 14, 2007...
; if the bid to host the games had been successful, a fifth star may have been added to the flag; however the Olympic bid was lost to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
Six-pointed stars are used because five-pointed stars
Five-pointed star
A five-pointed star is a very common ideogram throughout the world. If the colinear edges are joined together a pentagram is produced, which is the simplest of the unicursal star polygons, and a symbol of mystical and magical significance....
represent sovereign states, and because the star as designed is not found on any other flags.
History
In 1915, Mayor William Hale ThompsonWilliam Hale Thompson
William Hale Thompson was Mayor of Chicago from 1915 to 1923 and again from 1927 to 1931. Known as "Big Bill", Thompson was the last Republican to serve as Mayor of Chicago, and ranks among the most unethical mayors in American history.Thompson was born in Boston, Massachusetts to William Hale...
appointed a municipal flag commission, chaired by Alderman James A. Kearnes. Among the commission members were wealthy industrialist Charles Deering
Charles Deering
Charles Deering was an American businessman, art collector, and philanthropist. He was an executive of the agricultural machinery company founded by his father that became International Harvester. Charles's successful stewardship of the family firm left him with the means and leisure to indulge...
and impressionist painter Lawton S. Parker
Lawton S. Parker
Lawton S. Parker was an American impressionist painter.Born in Fairfield, Michigan, raised in Kearney, Nebraska, Parker studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. He traveled to France and studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. After return to the United States, he resided in Chicago and taught at...
. Parker asked lecturer and poet Wallace Rice
Wallace Rice
Wallace deGroot Cecil Rice was an American author, lecturer, and poet from Chicago, Illinois.-Biography:Wallace Rice was born 10 Nov 1859, to John Asaph Rice and Margaret Van Slyke Rice in Hamilton, Ontario, while his parents were temporarily residing in Canada...
to develop the rules for an open public competition for the best flag design. Over a thousand entries were received. In the end, the commission chose the design by Wallace Rice himself. On April 4, 1917, the commission's recommendation was accepted by the city council.
Further reading
- "Art and Architecture: How the Chicago Municipal Flag Came to be Chosen", Chicago Daily TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, July 17, 1921, p. 21. - "City Gets New Flag Today with Third Star for 1933 Fair", Chicago Daily TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, October 9, 1933, p. 7. - "Fort Dearborn Gets a Star on Chicago's Flag", Chicago Daily TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, December 22, 1939. p. 18.