Though simple, the French flag is full of meaning. The flag features 3 vertical stripes of blue, white and red. The blue and red stripes come from the coat of arms of Paris while the white stripe is from the original French flag. The design debuted in 1790 and was revised in 1794 with a reversal of the red and blue stripes. The original French flag was used again during the French Revolution, but the tricolor flag was brought back after the conflict.
France Flags
National France Flag
The French flag is one of the most recognizable flags in history. This flag features a tricolor design of blue, white and red. The Coat of Arms of Paris would be the main inspiration for the choice of the colors blue and red, while the white band would be taken from the original French flag. The initial design saw the blue and red stripes reversed in its debut in 1790 but was later switched to its current iteration in 1794.
The United States Flag Store doesn't just specialize in American flags, we also have a huge inventory of World flags as well. This flag of France is no exception, with all of our French nylon flags made right here in the U.S.A. Nylon flags have been nicknamed the "all weather flags" and would serve you well if you wanted to fly them outside next to your American flag. This is in part because nylon flags are so fast drying if hit with rain or water and are very resilient against the UV rays emitted by the sun. We also carry our own brand Super Knit Polyester French flags which has a durability and expectancy four times to that of our our printed polyester flags. Be sure to check out our French stick flags which do great in the classroom, on your desk or any event involving France or where a French theme may be prevalent. We also have pins and patches to take this lovely tricolor with you no matter where you go.
French Flag Facts: Meaning, Images, History and Origin
What do the 3 Colors Blue, White and Red represent and mean?
The blue and the red of the national flag of France find their roots as the historical colors of the French city, Paris. This city would also use these colors in their Coat of Arms which the flag itself utilized. The white on the French flag was brought in as a way to unify the country and represent more than just the cities of Paris.
What is the symbol on the French Flag? The Fleur-de-lis
The symbol that is most synonymous with France and one of their flags is the Fleur-de-lis. It is a visually appealing design that looks like a flower. And even the name itself, Fleur-de-lis means "flower of lily." This is an old image that has been used throughout history by many European nations and families and on a plethora of French flag variants. The Fleur-de-lis was most prominent during the Monarchial period of France. Its depiction was used by many Saints and French Royalty. The Fleur-de-lis dates as far back as to the 11th century. The Fleur-de-lis is the official coat of arms of France.
About Historical French Flags: Revolutionary, Colonial and Royal
One of the original French flags had a blue shield with a gold Fleur-de-lis in the center on an all-white background. This was the prominent flag used by the government prior to the adoption of the tricolor design that is most known today.
Under different dynasties, the Fleur-de-lis was used on a variety of different flags from the 12th century up until the early 1800's when France was a new independent nation.
The French Revolution saw early on the colors of red and blue used by the Paris militia as was their city's official colors. White had long been thought of as a historically "French" color representing the country as well. The national guard would adopt this tri color design, where in 1790, the country would officially adopt it as well. Although, it was during this time that the red and blue were actually switched on the flag appearing backwards to what it is now. It would later be reverted to what we see today, a mere four years later.
Did You Know? France began using a new flag after the French Revolution. For more details, visit FlagPictures.org, which has free French flag picture downloads, info and history.
Visit our Flag Blog for more information on the history of the French Flag
Find France Flag Pictures at Flag Detective
Info on Flag of France at Wikipedia.com
