The flag of Austin is the official municipal flag of Austin, Texas. The flag simply consists of a white field with the seal of Austin without the surrounding circle of text. Below the seal of Austin is the text "CITY OF AUSTIN", written in blue and arched upwards.
Design and symbolism
The flag has a proportion of 2 units tall by 3 units wide. The shield in the center is about 1 unit high and two-thirds of a unit tall and is divided into three even vertical strips of red, white, and red. The top of the shield is a blue isosceles triangle with an orange oil lamp in the middle. The red, white, and blue color scheme symbolizes that it is situated in Texas and the United States, as they both have red, white, and blue as their official colors. The oil lamp symbolizes knowledge and represents the various educational options within Austin, most notably the University of Texas at Austin located in the city (hence the choice of the orange color). Fimbriating the shield is a narrow gold border. The shield's crest rests on a white wreath. The crest consists of a gold cross bottony with white wings outlined in blue protruding on either side. This crest is derived from the coat of arms of the city's namesake, Stephen F. Austin. Austin was known as the "Father of Texas" due in large part to his efforts in the colonization and growth of the territory. The cross symbolized that an ancestor of Austin participated in a crusade, while the wings were designed to symbolize Saint Austin, Archbishop of Canterbury, who converted Wales to Christianity. This symbolism would prove important in the 1992 lawsuit. Behind the crest is a silhouette of the Texas State Capitol in red, with a blue outline. This represents its status as the capital city of Texas. Written in blue is the text "CITY OF AUSTIN", which is arched counterclockwise in the bottom third of the flag.
History
The idea for a city flag was first suggested in 1915 by Ellen Wyse, an editor of Gossip. She brought the idea to the attention of mayor A. P. Wooldridge, who organized a committee of 38 people to explore the idea, and soon created a flag design competition, declaring:
The contest offered $50 to the first place design and $25 to the runner-up. By October 2, 1916, the deadline, the contest had received 130 entrants. Out of these 130, the 10-person committee selected the design of Ray Frederick Coyle, an artist from San Francisco, as the first-place winner. Second place went to G.A. Geist, a Texas A&M University faculty member. Coyle's entry became the official flag and seal of the city after a few slight modifications to the design. The original had a shield of red, white, and blue, with the outline of the Capitol building at the top of the shield. The blue triangle came from the Austin family coat of arms and the cross and wings came from Stephen F. Austin's coat of arms. The committee added the oil lamp to represent the aspect of education in Austin, which replace a white star and crown that represented the City of the Violet Crown. The committee also added the wording "CITY OF AUSTIN" in block letters below the shield and the color blue to the lineage of the wings.
The city first began using the design as a flag and seal in 1917, following a shipment of several large and small flags to Scarbrough's Department Store, with one copy being presented to the city. The design was used on city documents, police cars, and other city property. The city copy from Scarbrough's was actually lost, according to a July 20, 1917, Statesman story, although it was later discovered. It was officially adopted by the Austin City Council on April 12, 1919. The resolution said that the flag would be flown on proper occasions. Jane Y. McCallum wrote about the flag in 1944, for her weekly column in the Statesman. In the column, she discussed the flag's lack of use and also questioned people on their knowledge of the existence of an Austin city flag. At some point, the original flag was placed in a desk drawer in the city clerk's office and was eventually discovered by an employee in 1975. The flag was framed and hung at the Old Bakery and Emporium, which served as the headquarters of the bicentennial for the city. The flag was then placed in an archive with all other materials involved with the bicentennial. It currently resides at the Austin History Center and is often displayed in the mayor's office.