The Washington state seal features a portrait of George Washington and the words “The Seal of the State of Washington 1889.” Originally, a more elaborate design was proposed, but jeweler Charles Talcott advised the legislature to adopt the portrait of Washington instead. In 2010, a proposal was made to replace the seal with a man in a business suit with a tapeworm attached to his intestine, but it did not qualify to appear on the state ballot.
The official Washington state seal is very simplistic, with only a few elements, although a more elaborate design was originally proposed. Features a die-cut portrait of George Washington, the first president of the United States, for whom the state is named, and the words “The Seal of the State of Washington 1889,” indicating the year the U.S. territory was become a state. Charles Talcott, a jeweler from Olympia, WA, was asked to create the artwork based on a panoramic view of Tacoma, WA in conjunction with the first meeting of the state legislature in November 1889. Talcott advised the legislature to adopt instead the portrait of Washington, believing it would be timeless and more easily associated with the state itself. In 2010, a Washington man, angry about what he believed was excessive taxation, filed a proposal with the secretary of state to replace the current state seal with that of a man in a business suit with a tapeworm attached to his intestine.
The first idea for the Washington state seal was to use the natural landscape as inspiration. The proposed design called for Mt. Rainier, the Port of Tacoma, WA, and a cornfield with grazing sheep. Talcott argued that this sketch was too complicated and did not reflect the future progress of the state. He originally planned to model his work on a postage stamp featuring George Washington, but later replaced it with a likeness depicted on a box of cough medicine. The die created by Talcott, which is now more than 100 years old, is still guarded by the secretary of state, the official custodian of the state seal of Washington. In 1967, the state hired a Seattle graphic artist named Richard Nelms to update the seal artwork, and he chose a portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart.
Throughout its history, the Washington state seal has undergone minor changes, but the most radical proposal was made in 2010. A Washington state resident was unhappy with what he felt were unfair and excessive business and personal taxes levied by the state government. He has proposed replacing the current state seal with a representation of this alleged injustice, a tapeworm attached to a businessman’s intestine. The proposal, which has been officially filed with the Secretary of State, would also have contained a new state motto, “Committee (d) to suck the life out of every single taxpayer.” The measure did not qualify to appear on the state ballot.
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