View source for Flag of Baltimore

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{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox Flag
| Name = Baltimore, Maryland
| Image = Flag of Baltimore, Maryland.svg| Image_size = 200px
| Alt = Flag of the City of Baltimore
| Use = <!--010000-->
| Symbol = <!--{{FIAV|010000}}-->{{FIAV|normal}}{{FIAV|Mirror}}
| Proportion = 2:3
| Adoption = February 11, 1915
| Design = Paly of six Or and sable, a bend counterchanged, on an inescutcheon Sable, within an orle of the first, a representation of Baltimore's Battle Monument (from the War of 1812, constructed 1815-1822), Argent.
| Designer = Judge Henry Stockbridge<br>Carroll Lucas<br>Wilbur F. Coyle<br>Hester Dorsey Richardson
}}
[[File:Flag of Baltimore, Maryland (1899–1915).gif|thumb|{{FIAV|historical}} Flag of Baltimore 1899–1915]]
The flag of [[Baltimore]] features the "[[Battle Monument]]", which is also the central motif on the [[Seal of Baltimore, Maryland|city's seal]].

The monument was constructed in the former colonial era Courthouse Square along [[Calvert Street (Baltimore)|North Calvert Street]], between East Lexington Street to the north and East Fayette Street to the south, after the second [[Baltimore City Circuit Courthouses|Baltimore City and County Courthouse]] was constructed on a site farther west across Calvert Street in 1805.

Commemorating the soldiers and officers that fell in the defense of the city against the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] land and sea attack in the [[Battle of Baltimore]] with the [[Battle of North Point]] and subsequent [[Fort McHenry|Bombardment of Fort McHenry]] on September 12-13-14th, 1814, during the [[War of 1812]].

The memorial was begun with a cornerstone laying one year after the attack on September 12, 1815, (later observed annually as [[Defenders Day (Maryland)|Defenders Day]], a city/county/state legal holiday) and completed in 1822, seven years later.

The design was by French emigre architect [[Maximilian Godefroy]] and five years later was placed as the central figure  with the city incorporation date of 1797 underneath on the city's newly designed oval [[Seal of Baltimore|official seal]] in 1827.

In the 20th century, the monument was also placed over the black and gold  colors design from the Calvert family quarters from the shield of the [[Seal of Maryland|Great Seal of the State of Maryland]], in the city flag now flown along with the [[Flag of the United States|American]]  and [[Flag of Maryland|Maryland state]] flags at all public buildings and many private sites.

The field is in the [[George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore|Calvert family]] colors of black and yellow / gold (sometimes orange) and design, which also appear in the first and fourth quarters of the [[Flag of Maryland|Maryland state flag]] taken from the shield of the Calvert-Crossland families coats-of-arms.

The flag is [[blazon]]ed (described in [[heraldry|heraldic]]) terms as follows: Paly of six Or and sable, a bend counterchanged, on an inescutcheon Sable, within an orle of the first, a representation of Baltimore's Battle Monument Argent.  Two other designs were submitted for consideration; both included the Battle Monument and the Calvert arms.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-md-b.html|title=Baltimore City, Maryland (U.S.)|work=Flags of the World}}</ref>

Respondents to a 2004 survey sponsored by the [[North American Vexillological Association]] rated the Baltimore city flag 7.46 on a 10-point scale, making it the 18th best American city flag in the 150 flag survey of American cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nava.org/digital-library/design/surveys/2004-American-City%20Flags-Survey.pdf|date=2004|title=2004 American City Flags Survey}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Seal of Baltimore]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{FOTW|id=us-md-b|title=Baltimore City, Maryland (U.S.)}}

{{Baltimore}}
{{Flags of cities in the United States}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baltimore, Maryland, Flag of}}
[[Category:Culture of Baltimore|Flag]]
[[Category:Government of Baltimore|Flag]]
[[Category:Flags of Maryland]]
[[Category:History of Baltimore]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1915]]
[[Category:Tricolor flags]]


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