A cornucopia, a scroll, a shield with a plough and a ship, a dismembered arm balancing scales, two gals named Peace and Plenty—they’re everywhere you look. Sam Robinson finds that the Seal of Philadelphia as we know it dates to 1908, but its origins date back to the establishment of the modern City government in 1789

Flags can be a powerful way of strengthening civic pride, but Philly’s flag needs a new design in order to capture the public’s imagination, argues Michael Burlando