Seal of the District of Columbia

The seal of the District of Columbia was adopted in 1871 after the passage of the Organic Act, which established the current district-wide municipal government.

Great Seal of the District of Columbia
Versions
Historical coat of arms (1876)
ArmigerDistrict of Columbia
Other elementsLady Justice hanging a wreath on a statue of George Washington; the motto of the District of Columbia, "JUSTITIA OMNIBUS" (Latin for Justice for All); and "1871" (the year in which the District was organized in its present form). In the background is the United States Capitol on the right; on the left, a train steams across a viaduct under a rising sun.
UseTo represent the District of Columbia and to authenticate certain documents.

The seal consists of a circular design with the words “DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA” stretched across the top inside portion in an arc. The Seal includes two human figures which are Jean-Antoine Houdon's likeness of George Washington, and Lady Justice holding a wreath in her right hand and a stone tablet etched with the word "CONSTITUTION" in her left hand.

The Seal also contains a depiction of the United States Capitol's West Front and lawn, several agricultural products, a miniaturization of the Great Seal of the United States, a train locomotive crossing the Thomas Viaduct towards Washington, emblazoned by a radiating sun and trailed by several rail cars. The seal reads the motto of the District of Columbia, "JUSTITIA OMNIBUS" (Latin for "justice for all"); and "1871" for the Organic Act's passage and current government establishment.

History
Seal of the District of Columbia in 1876.
This collection of United States Seals was registered by the Library of Congress in 1876. When enlarged, the Seal of the District of Columbia has one noticeable difference: the space now occupied by George Washington is held by the Statue of Freedom.

When it was first adopted in 1871, the original seal featured Lady Justice placing a wreath not on a statue of George Washington, but on the Statue of Freedom, which currently sits atop the Capitol Building. By 1888, the seal had been modified to feature a statue of George Washington. The tablet etching has also been dropped in intervening years, with the Seal simplified for other purposes.

Use of the Seal

The district's government policy restricts use of the seal to official purposes approved by Secretary of the District of Columbia, and all other uses without their explicit permission is prohibited. Requests to use or reproduce the District Seal must be submitted in writing to the D.C. Secretary before uses are approved, and all decisions about Seal use are within their discretion. Additional restrictions are listed in Mayor's Memorandum 89-47.

See also

References


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