Template:POTD/2020-09-09

Picture of the day

This historical depiction of the coat of arms of California was illustrated by American engraver Henry Mitchell in State Arms of the Union, published in 1876 by Louis Prang. A state in the Pacific region of the U.S., California was admitted into the Union on September 9, 1850. The escutcheon depicts the goddess Minerva, representing the political birth of the state, seated underneath the state motto Eureka. At her feet crouches a grizzly bear, feeding upon bunches of grapes that, with the plough and sheaf of wheat on the right, are emblematic of the state's bounty. On the left, a miner at work, with a rocker and bowl at his side, illustrates the golden wealth of the land, while the snow-clad peaks of the Sierra Nevada and shipping on the Sacramento River make up the background. A similar design appears on the current Great Seal of California.Illustration credit: Henry Mitchell; restored by Andrew Shiva