The Flag of the City and County of San Francisco is the municipal flag of San Francisco, California. The flag's central symbol, a rising phoenix, often is assumed to refer to the city's recovery from the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fires. However, the phoenix had been a civic symbol of San Francisco at least since 1852, when it featured on the first official seal of the city. The Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco codified the design of the current flag on December 16, 1940.

Discrepancy in the San Francisco City Flag Motto: The iconic San Francisco city flag, featuring a phoenix rising from flames above a white banner bearing the Spanish motto "Oro en Paz - Fierro en Guerra" (Gold in Peace - Iron in War), embodies the city's spirit of resilience. However, a discrepancy exists between the official design outlined in city code and its widespread online representation, particularly regarding the color of the motto. Chapter 1A, Section 1A-2 of the San Francisco Administrative Code explicitly states the motto should be rendered "in a golden hue." ([1]) Many online representations, including the current Wikipedia image, depict the motto in white with gold letters. This discrepancy raises concerns about the accuracy of flag reproductions and their potential impact on historical integrity and symbolic meaning. While historical archives consistently show the motto in gold, aligning with the code, it appears some manufacturers may have produced flags with an erroneous white motto, possibly containing gold lettering. This error has then spread through online reproductions, leading to the widespread dissemination of an inaccurate design.

Addressing the Inaccuracy: It is important to note that this discrepancy extends beyond online representations. Some commercially available flags also depict the motto incorrectly. However, it is worth highlighting that at least one long-standing and reputable flag producer in San Francisco has consistently produced the flag according to the official code specifications, including the "golden hue" motto.

History

In 1900, banker and art patron Mayor James Duval Phelan, mayor from 1897 to 1902, recommended to the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco that San Francisco adopt a flag and motto. A contest was held, and more than one hundred proposals were submitted. Artist John M. Gamble's proposal was selected.

Gamble's concept depicted a black phoenix rising from gold flames on a white field. The mythological phoenix appears in many ancient cultures and is a symbol of immortality. When the long-lived phoenix feels death is near, it builds a nest of aromatic wood and sets it afire. A new phoenix then arises from the ashes, just as San Francisco arose from the great fires of the 1850s.

Below the phoenix and flames, the Spanish motto "Oro en paz y fierro en guerra" ("Gold in Peace and Iron in War") was on a black ribbon. The motto refers to the city's then-recent experience during the Spanish–American War as the embarkation point for troops to the Philippines in 1898.^[1]

Based on the motto, San Francisco's official city colors now are gold and black; these two colors decorate the dome of San Francisco City Hall.

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  1929 replacement copy of original 1900 San Francisco flag designed by Robert Ingersoll Aitken.

Design

The flag of San Francisco is a symbol of resilience and embodies the city's spirit. It features a central design element and a motto, both with specific design specifications outlined in the San Francisco Administrative Code (Chapter 1A, Section 1A-2).

Central Design: A rising phoenix, depicted in a naturalistic style with feathers and tail. The phoenix is facing to the dexter side (right) of the flag. The phoenix is depicted emerging from flames rendered in shades of orange, red, and yellow.

Motto: The Spanish phrase "Oro en Paz - Fierro en Guerra" (Gold in Peace - Iron in War), displayed on a white banner below the phoenix. The motto is rendered in a golden hue, not white with gold letters.

Additional details: Some online representations and commercially available flags may depict the motto incorrectly, showing it in white with gold letters. This contradicts the official code.

The original design of the San Francisco flag was executed in 1900 by Robert Ingersoll Aitken.^[2] Now best known as a sculptor, Aitken would go on to create both the Victory figure atop the Dewey Monument, in San Francisco's Union Square, and the figures, above the inscription "Equal Justice Under Law," that preside over the famous entrance to the U.S. Supreme Court Building.

The San Francisco Police Department used the Aitken flag for ceremonial occasions from 1900 until sometime in the early 1920s. But, by 1923, the S.F.P.D. had adopted a different design that the San Francisco Fire Department had been using at least since 1915. This design featured the same symbolic elements — a phoenix above a motto ribbon — but used different artwork and introduced different colors, such as brown tones for the phoenix and red and orange for the flames. The fire department and police department each added to their shared symbolic elements information — "S.F.F.D." and "San Francisco Police Department," respectively — that marked these as departmental flags, not city flags.

In the early 1930s, the San Francisco Mayor's office began using a version of the police and fire department flags that featured only the symbolic elements.

In December 1940, the Board of Supervisors added to this "new" flag the name "San Francisco" in bold, blue letters and codified all of these elements as the official San Francisco flag.