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State Seal Watercolor

Dublin Core

Title

State Seal Watercolor

Description

Square watercolor painting depicting a circle and eagle with crest in the center. Text around rim reads "The Great State Seal of the State of Utah," with "1896" below. Below eagle is two U.S. flags draped around a shield, in which there is a skep beehive on a stand with sego lillies around it. It reads"1847" beneath the beehive. Signature in bottom right corner in blue gray paint reads "Harry Edwards."

This watercolor painting by Harry Emmett Edwards is the first known sketch of what we now call the State Seal of Utah. Records show Edwards' proposed design was accepted by the Legislature on March 31, 1896, with the bill approved by Governor Heber M. Wells by April 3 that same year.

Edwards was a Canadian-born Utah pioneer and member of the National Society of Artists. He was also a bank teller, sometime bar tender, and a member of the Argenta Chapter of the Masonic Lodge in Salt Lake. His unique design featuring a beehive and sego lillies still resonates with Utahns today.

An oral history with the artist's relative indicates the seal came to the Historical Society at the hands of Edward's nephew some time before 1960.

Creator

Source

Publisher

Utah State Archives

Date

Contributor

Utah Division of State History

Rights

Copyright All Years. Utah Division of State History. All Rights Reserved.

Relation

http://cloud1.rediscoverysoftware.com:85/ProficioWebModule/Detail.aspx?rID=0000-026-001&db=objects&dir=HISTORY&osearch=seal&list=res&rname=&rimage=&page=1

Format

25.75 x 25.75 (in)

Collection

Artifacts of Statehood

Citation

Edwards, Harry, “State Seal Watercolor,” Utah State History Digital Exhibits, accessed May 2, 2024, https://utahstatehistory.omeka.net/items/show/310.

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