The first Constitution of Maryland provided that the Governor's Council determine what the great seal of the state should be. At first the Council simply ordered that the Great Seal of 1648 be continued. But in 1794 the Council ordered a new seal that eliminated all reference to the Calvert family. The new seal was designed by the noted American artist, Charles Willson Peale. The seal shows a tobacco hogshead and tobacco leaves, sheaves of wheat, a cornucopia, and a ship in the background, all symbols of Maryland's agriculture and trade.

Copyright © 1990-2022 by John T. Marck. All Rights Reserved. This article and their accompanying line art, may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author. Seal courtesy of the Maryland State Archives. Reprinted by Permission.