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by Randy Young, 4 March 2001, modified by António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 January 2003
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The flag of the city of Memphis, Tennessee is divided horizontally red over blue, with a vertical white bar on the hoist that is slightly diagonal toward the upper fly. At the intersection of these three bars is the Memphis city seal. According to the information on World Book's site regarding the flag, "The red, white, and blue in the flag of Memphis represents the United States and Tennessee, both of which use those colors in their flags. The flag includes the city seal. The steamboat on the seal symbolizes commerce."
Randy Young, 4 March 2001
The flag of Memphis is a good example of the de facto flag not following the de jure description of the flag. The ordinance establishing the flag of Memphis specifies that "the lettering illustrations, and inscription on the gold seal
shall be in white". In practice, however, those elements are rendered in black.
Devereaux D. Cannon, 4 March 2001
Below is Section 1-7 of the Memphis City Code describing the flag.
"Sec. 1-7. City flag or banner.
(a) The municipal flag or banner of the city shall be rectangular in shape. Its
length shall be one and two-thirds (1 2/3) times its width. The field or
background shall be divided into three (3) parts, the colors being red, white
and blue. Upon the conjunction of the lines bounding the three (3) fields shall
be centered the official seal of the city, its colors being gold and white.
(b) The white portion of the city flag or banner is more particularly described
as follows:
Beginning at a point in the inner edge (secured edge) of such flag or banner,
such point being the uppermost corner of said flag; thence along the upper edge
a distance of one-half ( 1/2) the length of the entire flag; thence toward the
bottom edge of such flag angling toward the secured edge to a point in the
bottom edge of such flag or banner, such point being two-thirds ( 2/3) the
distance from the free edge of such flag or banner; thence one-third ( 1/3) the
length of the flag to a point, such point being the bottom corner of the inner
or secured edge of such flag; thence along the secured or inner edge toward the
top the entire width of the flag to a point of beginning; such described portion
being white in color except for that part being overlaid with the official seal
of the city.
(c) The red portion of the city flag or banner is more particularly described as
follows:
Beginning in the uppermost corner of the free edge or outer edge; thence along
the free or outer edge toward the bottom edge of such flag or banner a distance
of one-half ( 1/2) the width of such flag; thence toward the secured edge,
parallel to the top and bottom, to a point where such line contacts the white
portion of such flag; thence angling toward the free or outer edge to a point in
the top of such flag or banner; thence along the top edge of such flag a
distance of one-half ( 1/2) its length to a point in the uppermost corner of the
free edge, such point being the point of beginning; described portion being red
in color except for that part being overlaid by the seal of the city.
(d) The blue portion of the city flag or banner is more particularly described
as follows:
Beginning at a point in the free or outer edge of such flag or banner, such
point being the bottom corner; thence along the bottom edge of each flag a
distance of two-thirds ( 2/3) its length to a point; thence angling toward the
free or outer edge to a point, such point being located halfway between the top
and bottom edges of such flag, such point also being the point where the City of
Memphis seal shall be centered on such flag or banner; thence toward the outer
or free edge, parallel to the top and bottom, to a point in the outer or free
edge of such flag or banner, such point being centered between the top and
bottom edges at the outer or free edge of such flag; thence along the outer or
free edge of such flag one-half ( 1/2) the distance of the width to the bottom
corner of the free edge, such point being the point of beginning; such described
portion being blue in color except that part being overlaid by the seal of the
city.
(e) The seal of the city as described in section 1-5 shall be affixed and
overlaid on the city flag or banner, its center being located at the conjunction
of the three (3) principal colors of the main fields. The diameter of the seal
shall be one-half ( 1/2) the width of the flag or banner. The background of the
seal shall be gold in color and all lettering, illustrations and inscriptions
found on the seal shall be white in color.
(f) The above described backgrounds, colors, proportions and the overlaid city
seal shall be on both sides of the material or cloth of the flag or banner."
You will notice that in subsection (e) it states that "The background of the
seal shall be gold in color and all lettering, illustrations and inscriptions
found on the seal shall be white in color." I have never seen a Memphis City
flag using white for the elements of the seal. I do recall that, in 1968 or 1969
when, in preparation the the sesquicentennial observation in 1969, the city
retired the old Benin style flags and had new flags made to correspond more
correctly to the ordinance, the fact that the ordinance called for white
elements on the seal was discussed. The decision was made to disregard that
portion of the ordinance, because of the visibility problem caused by overlaying
white on gold.
Devereaux Cannon, 21 January 2003
by António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 January 2003
Prior to 1969 the flag of the City of Memphis had another de facto variance from the ordinance which authorized it. At that time, it was as shown, except that the division between the white hoist, and the red/blue fly, was a perpendicular line (the overall design, other than colors, being like the flag of Benin, with the seal added). As the city was preparing for its Sesquicentennial Celebration, which was held in 1969, someone read the ordinance, and discovered that the division was supposed to be at an angle. Since that time, the flags have been made as shown above.
At the same time it was also noted that the ordinance called for the letters and symbols in the gold seal to be white. It was recognized, however, that white letters on a gold seal would not be very visible (and also violate the rules of heraldry), so the use of black instead of white was continued, although the law was never changed.
The angle follows, roughly, the angle made by the Mississippi River, at the point where it divides Tennessee and Mississippi on the east from Arkansas on the west. The colored areas of the flag are a sort of vexillolographic representation of the point where the three States come together, Memphis being located in the corner of Tennessee at that point of intersection.
Devereaux D. Cannon, 4 March 2001