Black and White

by Dr. Whitney Smith

White is the second most commonly used color in the national flags of the world (70%) because, like yellow, it provides contrast to the other colors of which flags are composed (red, green, blue, black, and sometimes others). The least common of the basic flag colors, black, appears in only 21 % of national flags. Among flags of two colors only the combination of white and black is not common, although many flags have black and white plus other colors. There is room for speculation about the reason(s) for this - whether those colors are associated with a somber appearance, negative symbolic associations, or some other factor.

Of those limited to black and white, the three flags of Brittany are among the best known - its armorial banner of arms, its black cross on white, and the modem "stripes and ermine spots." Another Celtic nation, Cornwall, also has a flag of black and white. Dating from at least the 19th century - (and perhaps earlier), this flag is symbolically associated with the tin which made Cornwall famous and the ore from which it is derived. The exact origins of this flag, the "banner of St. Piran," are not known.

Elsewhere in Europe, the ancient coat of arms of Corsica (a black head with a white band over the eyes or forehead, all on a white shield) is the basis for several versions of the flag that characterizes the island. Sicily also once had another flag of this color combination - a black spread eagle on a white back ground. This is associated with Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen whose reign brought such glory to the island.

Perhaps the most widely used flags of black and white are those associated with the Kingdom of Prussia from its establishment in 1701 until its suppression in 1935 under the Nazi regime. Ultimately, the inspiration for the Prussian colors was the banner of the Teutonic Knights, a warrior order which exercised control over substantial territories. During the years of its grandeur, Prussia used a variety of black and white flags, although some of these also bore an eagle which included the colors gold and light blue.

A number of other flags in German-speaking areas were also influenced by this design tradition. The flags of the Prussian provinces and the maritime flag of the city of Königsberg, for example, were fashioned of black and white only. Those colors became the basis for many German flags under the Second Reich and then were revived by Hitler. Today in Germany the black cross on white, embellished with a central black eagle and a canton consisting of black-white-red stripes bearing the Iron Cross, is associated with neo-Nazis who, being denied the right to display their real flag, the infamous Hakenkreuz, flaunt the Reichskriegsflagge.

Black is found in many Arab national flags. Historically, the Abbasids - one of the leading dynasties of early Islam - favored the use of black for their banners. These were often covered with inscriptions, but available evidence suggests that those inscriptions were usually of gold not white. Never the less the black Abbasid flags inspired four modem national flags of Afghanistan in use from 1919 to 1928 and again (briefly) in 1929, which incorporated only black and white.

Elsewhere in Asia, the Muslim peoples of the East Indies have made use of black and white as favored flag colors. An all-black flag, for example, was displayed by the Arab merchants of the Sultanate of Acheh; Trumong and Riouw are among the small states in what is today Indonesia that also had flags of black and white. In what is now Malaysia there have been black and white national flags used by Pahang (two flags since 1887) and Trengganu (several flags since the late 19th century). Johore for a brief time (1855-1865) also had a black and white flag.

In Africa the rule of the Senussi dynasty in Cyrenaica led to the creation of a national flag for that territory based on black and white religious banners previously in use. Following World War II, Cyrenaica under British administration was organized as the kernel for what eventually became the modern country of Libya. The national flag of Cyrenaica in use from 1947 to 1950 was black with a white star and crescent; the royal standard added a white crown in the upper hoist corner. When Cyrenaica united with Tripolitania and Fezzan to form Libya, the new flag was created by adding stripes of red and green at the top and bottom to the flag of Cyrenaica.

Perhaps there have been other black and white national flags used at some point in history. Can any reader suggest examples? Certainly, there have also been non-national flags in these colors. Many of these, unfortunately, evoke memories of death and destruction: the flags of the Chetniks of World War II notoriety, the banners of the special elite SS troops and of the Hitler-Jugend in the same era, and the Jolly Roger of pirate fame come to mind.