The flag of the state of Delaware was introduced on 24th of July in 1913. It shows a single-coloured colonial blue bunting and in the middle a leather-coloured (buff) diamond with the coat of arms of the state in the centre. The coat of arms was created in 1777 and shows, among other things, an ox on a green meadow and agricultural products (agriculture), a blue wavy line (Delaware River) and a ship (trade) above the shield. To the left and right of the shield are a farmer and a soldier. The state motto from the War of Independence appears below the shield: "Liberty and Independence". Below the diamond is a date: "December 7, 1787", the day Delaware became the first state to sign the US Constitution. The colours colonial blue and buff (leather colour) are reminiscent of the colours of General George Washington's uniform. The definition of the colours dates back to 1954 and follows the standard of the "Textile Color Card Association of the United States", where they are referred to as "Arno Blue" (cable no. 10663) and "Golden Beige" (cable no. 10781). In the Pantone spectrum, the colour shades pt 549 c (blue) and pt 465 c could correspond most closely to the specified values. The diamond is also said to represent the state's nickname: "Diamond State". In practice, the Delaware flag is often simply printed in blue and yellow or blue and orange, leading to the assumption that the colours of Delaware are the colours of Sweden or the Netherlands, both countries that ruled the region in the 17th century (Delaware was founded as New Sweden in 1638).
In the state flags of Delaware and New Jersey as well as in the former state flags of New York (1896–1901) and Maine (1901–1909), the colour is described as "leather-coloured" or "buff". This colour is now standardised in United Kingdom and in the USA as "Pantone 465". Nevertheless, the colour tone varies greatly in practice because the colour tone of the leather is determined by the species, breed, sex, age and health of the animal. The Anglo-American buff colour is based on the colour of the doublet worn by the light cavalry – the arquebusiers of the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War – Oliver Cromwell's "The Ironsides". This is recorded in reports as a "yellowish mustard colour". The light militia cavalry of Massachusetts (Massachusetts Militia Light Horse) brought exactly this "buff" with them to the New World. In England and then United Kingdom, the 3rd Regiment of Line Infantry wore leather clothing and cartridge pouches made of untreated coloured leather with their red uniform coat, rather than the usual white. It also wore "buff" as its insignia colour. The nickname and then official nickname of the regiment was "The Buffs". As commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, George Washington wore the uniform he had previously worn, that of an officer of the independent militia company of Fairfax County/Virginia: dark blue coat, badge, waistcoat and trousers in "buff". This became – at least in theory – the prescribed dress colour for American generals during the War of Independence. The Continental infantry regiments of the New York and New Jersey line wore "buff" as the insignia colour on the blue uniform coat for at least two years – an ideal that only applied to a minority. At least half of the Continental Army wore the hunting shirt or civilian hunting textile skirts, at least temporarily. The Maine and Delaware militia preferred to wear buff-coloured waistcoats and trousers. The 14th Continental Infantry Regiment (Massachusetts line) wore buff-coloured uniform skirts. It consisted mainly of bargemen, fishermen and sailors. It enabled the Continental Army to cross the Delaware, which was followed by the Battle of Trenton. The well-known painting "Washington Crosses the Delaware" shows a false US flag, namely the "Betsy Ross" flag. The correct flag would have been the "Grand Union" flag with the small "Union Jack" in the upper corner. Contemporary colour illustrations, paintings and descriptions show a number of buff variations: beige / mustard / yellowish / light, medium and dark beige / light, medium and dark brown, through to dull white. In addition to the leather colour "buff", there is also the textile colour "buff" made from plant dyes, combined with the same variety of colours. In the US Civil War it was called "butternut". The badge colour and the colour of the sashes for Confederate generals was "buff" (as the colour of George Washington, so to speak), but the majority of them preferred a dull white. This "grey-white" of the Confederate army is still referred to today not simply as "grey", but as "gray", and it includes shades from almost white to black-grey.
The name "Delaware" goes back to Sir Thomas West, Baron de la Warr, the first governor of the British colony of Virginia. The name was transferred to the river, the country and even to the Indians who lived here (Lenape).
