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Paraguayan national flag: version of 1842-1967

Last modified: 2015-01-17 by francisco gregoric
Keywords: tree: double trunk | doubt | treasury seal |
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Paraguay flag (obv.)
image by Željko Heimer, 30 Oct 2002
(clipart source: CorelDraw)
two-sided

See also:

About the flag

According to [alv86], the 1812 flag became a model for the first codified flag of the Paraguayan Republic introduced by the General Congress on November 25, 1842, which paid tribute officially to the ideals of the French Revolution.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 15 May 2002

The image in [gmc17] (page 369; flag #501, as «Paraguay Ensign») matches very well the ratio for the period, 333:500.
Željko Heimer, 06 Oct 2002

Shown in the Flaggenbuch [neu92] as «National Flag, Naval and Merchant Ensign, Diplomatic Offices’ Flag».
Željko Heimer, 28 Oct 2002


Reverse

Paraguayan flag (rev.)
image by Željko Heimer, 30 Oct 2002
(clipart source: CorelDraw)
two-sided reverse sinister


Merchant Ensign as of 1917

1917 Merchant
image by Željko Heimer, 29 Oct 2002

Shown in [gmc17], as image #504 «Merchant Ensign»: similar to the contemporary ensign, but with the emblem off-set much to the hoist. The look of the emblem is similar to the treasury seal, but in the text it is described as «the seal of the department having to do with merchant marine matters». What would be the department, and what would the seal look like? There is no mention of different obverse here. Do we have any other source describing such merchant ensign? If there was indeed such, it must have been abandoned until WWII, Flaggenbuch [neu92] does not mention it any more.
Željko Heimer, 06 Oct 2002


Flag with tree on 1842 plate

Flag with tree
image by Jaume Ollé, 15 Mar 2001

Laurie’s flag chart, of 1842, [Lri42] shows red,white and blue horizontal 3 stripes (1:1:1) with emblem of twisted tree with green leaves and brown trunks in the center of white stripe. Similar image in 1848 Norris and Hobb’s chart Maritime Flags of All Nations [noh48], in 1862 German Flaggen Atlas by Brommes [bmm62], and 1897 British flag chart The flags of All Nations [fan97] (Incidentally the latter’s chart sister version of The Arms of All Nations published by same company does not show arms of Paraguay; I assume they are not sure the tree emblem is an official coat of arms). I know Paraguay star/wreath emblem was already adopted in 1842 but the twisted tree is so different in shape from star/wreath.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 21 Jan 2001, 22 Jan 2001 and 15 Mar 2001

Maybe someone had misunderstood the words «a palm and an olive twined to one crown…» to draw two trees instead of branches. In some languages the head of a tree is named crown, so this error or misinterpretation can be understood. And then the difference between the trees and the wreath is not so big, as those words were not only in the 1842 description but even in that of 1812 [alv86]. Maybe Laurie [Lri42] had heard of the arms or had heard a description from anyone. Possibly the bishopric had used two trees?
Ralf Stelter, 23 Jan 2001


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