Maryland’s state seal has a long history, with the first official seal being brought from England in the 1600s. The current seal has both an obverse and reverse, with the reverse being more commonly used. The seal has been replaced and changed several times, with the current version featuring Calvert’s coat of arms and Lord Baltimore on a charging horse with a drawn sword.
The history of Maryland’s official state seal began in colonial times, and the current seal closely resembles the original. The first official seal was brought from England in the 1600s for use by the state chancellor. It was stolen by Richard Ingle during the 1645 rebellion, and a similar replacement was sent in 1648 from England by Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore. The state seal of Maryland is one of the few in the United States to have both an obverse and a reverse, with the reverse being the more commonly used in documentation. The reverse of the seal contains the Calvert family crest, while the obverse depicts Lord Baltimore on a charging horse with a drawn sword.
The state seal of Maryland has been replaced and changed several times throughout its history. Calvert’s coat of arms remained in use until 1794, when the government replaced it with artwork designed by Charles Wilson Peale that reflected republican government. On the obverse was a woman holding the scales of justice with the words “Great Seal of the State of Maryland” engraved on the outside. The reverse contained a vessel in the background and a barrel with tobacco leaves on top, a cornucopia and sheaves of wheat in the foreground. The motto “Industry the means, abundance the result” surrounds the artwork. Unlike some seals which are meant to appear as reliefs on paper, this one was designed to be stamped in wax.
Peale’s design for the state seal of Maryland was used until another substitution was made in 1817, when the General Assembly replaced it with a one-sided seal. He had an eagle carrying a shield. Then, in 1854, the eagle was combined with the original design containing Calvert’s coat of arms to create another double-sided emblem. Twenty years later, in 1874, Calvert’s complete seal was put back into use, with a correction of the coat of arms. This version remained in use, but was not incorporated into official state law until 1959, with a statute revision in 1969. As with the original seal, the reverse side is used exclusively to designate official state documents. The obverse is also officially recognized under Maryland law as part of the seal and is often displayed on state buildings.
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