Draft:Seal of Chicago

Seal of Chicago
Armiger	Chicago, Illinois
Adopted	1905
Designer	Bernard J. Cigrand

The seal of Chicago is the corporate insignia representing the city of Chicago.

The original seal was adopted in 1837 but was replaced with the present day seal in 1905. The seal represents the authority of the City government, and often conveys to people who see it that they are seeing an official communication, bearing the City's imprimatur.

Symbolism

A sheaf of wheat superimposed on a federal shield represents the fertility of midwestern land and its value to the country. To one side stands a figure representing the area’s native inhabitants, and to the other is a ship depicting later settlement. A baby floats overhead, symbolic of the newborn city; shown in early versions as floating in a cloud, it is later seen sitting in a clam shell symbolic of the city as the pearl of the Great Lakes. “URBS IN HORTO,” inscribed on a ribbon at the bottom of the seal is Latin for “City in a Garden.” The 4th of March 1837 is the year of the incorporation of the city.

History

Seal of 1895

At the time of the incorporation of Chicago as a city, in 1837 a committee composed of Mayor William B. Ogden, Aldermen Josiah Goodhue and Daniel Pearsons were assigned to draft a new seal. The seal is described in the ordinance as "a shield (American) with a sheaf of wheat on its center; a ship in full sail on the right; a sleeping infant on the top; an Indian with bow and arrow on the left; and with the motto ‘Urbs in Horto’ at the bottom of the shield, with the inscription ‘City of Chicago-Incorporated, 4th of March, 1837’ around the outside edge of said seal." Modifications to the ordinance of the seal were made in 1854 and 1893, adding the sleeping infant over the shield while the latter amplifies this by decreeing the sleeping infant on top, lying on its back on a shell. Following the disappearance of most and or not all of the drawing and reproductions of the original seal, the present seal was adopted in 1905.

Controversy

The seal has been called racist because of the description of the sailing ship by city documents as ''emblematic of the approach of white man's civilization and commerce'' in the 17th century. Following this incident, the city-hall thought about whether 1 million dollars should be spent on the city seal. Robert Shaw, a person of color, proposed replacing it with a Native american and businessman. The decision was not to do so.

The baby sleeping in a shell also created controversy because of the posture of the infant in 1905. He is seated upright with one leg crossed and the other dangling over the edge. Experts said that no child sleeps this way. The infant was not identified as sleeping which would have invalidated the seal of Chicago rendering illegal all franchise and official documents. The City of Chicago then wondered whether 2 million dollars should be spent to change the infant's expression. The decision was to not do so.