Georgetown University’s iconic seal—an eagle holding a cross and a globe in an oval—is immediately recognizable by any member of the Georgetown community. But did you know that this symbol was only made the official seal in 1977? The development of the University seal is the subject of a new online exhibition from the University Archives in the Library’s Booth Family Center for Special Collections.
Georgetown University, then Georgetown College, adopted an official seal for the first time in 1844, after the institution was incorporated by an Act of Congress. This seal borrowed many design elements from an oval emblem of the College created in the late 1790s (the very same image we now use). The design of the 1844 seal was then modified in the late 1880s to be round in shape and with much less detail than previously. That version of the seal was used, with few modifications, until 1977, when the original 1790s oval emblem was adopted as the official seal we see today.
In addition to these official changes, however, administrators and students throughout the University’s history have on occasion modified the seal design according to their needs and artistic inclinations. The new online exhibition includes examples of a number of these variant designs—some of which are still recognizable and others of which are quite odd indeed. Take a look!
Variation of the University seal printed on a program from the Georgetown University Dramatic Association production of The Rivals on January 9, 1903.