^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Memphis, Tennessee (U.S.)

by Randy Young, 4 March 2001, modified by António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 January 2003

Description of the flag
Pre-1969 variant

See also:

State of Tennessee

Description of the Flag

The flag of the city of Memphis, Tennessee is divided horizontally red over blue, with a vertical white bar on the hoist that is slightly diagonal toward the upper fly. At the intersection of these three bars is the Memphis city seal. According to the information on World Book's site regarding the flag, "The red, white, and blue in the flag of Memphis represents the United States and Tennessee, both of which use those colors in their flags. The flag includes the city seal. The steamboat on the seal symbolizes commerce."
Randy Young, 4 March 2001

The flag of Memphis is a good example of the de facto flag not following the de jure description of the flag. The ordinance establishing the flag of Memphis specifies that "the lettering illustrations, and inscription on the gold seal shall be in white". In practice, however, those elements are rendered in black.
Devereaux D. Cannon, 4 March 2001

Flag legislation

Below is Section 1-7 of the Memphis City Code describing the flag.

"Sec. 1-7. City flag or banner.

(a) The municipal flag or banner of the city shall be rectangular in shape. Its length shall be one and two-thirds (1 2/3) times its width. The field or background shall be divided into three (3) parts, the colors being red, white and blue. Upon the conjunction of the lines bounding the three (3) fields shall be centered the official seal of the city, its colors being gold and white.

(b) The white portion of