Mrs. Dixie Cornell Gebhardt of Knoxville, Iowa, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, designed the state's flag, which is replicated on the 13-cent Iowa State Flag stamp (Scott 1661). Adopted in 1921, seventy-five years after the admission of Iowa into the Union, the flag resulted from a request made by Iowa National Guardsmen stationed along the Mexican border during World War I. The Guardsmen wanted a state flag to designate their unit.
The Iowa state flag consists of three vertical stripes: blue for loyalty, justice, and truth; white for purity; and red for courage. On the white stripe is a bald eagle carrying a blue streamer in its beak. The state motto—" Our Liberties We Prize, and Our Rights We Will Maintain"—appears on the streamer. The state's name is emblazoned in red letters below the eagle.
References:
Scott 2005 Specialized Catalogue of U.S. Stamps and Covers
NETSTATE.com (http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/flags/ia_flag.htm)
SHG Resources (http://www.shgresources.com/ia/symbols/flag/)
Glossary
