The George C. Marshall Museum is honored to present its newest exhibition, Celebrating the 225th Anniversary of the Great Seal: Past Present, and Future. Created by the United States Diplomacy Center's Bureau of Public Affairs, this exhibit looks back to the ancestors of the modern seal, traces the origins and meanings of the Great Seal, and celebrates its significance in the United States today.  The Marshall Museum is the first stop in the exhibit's nationwide tour.

"As Secretary of State, George C. Marshall was the official keeper of the Great Seal," explained Brian Shaw, Marshall Foundation president.  "It is only fitting that this special exhibit resides for a time in the safe keeping of the Marshall Museum, continuing symbolically the service that Marshall provided from 1947 to 1949.  We are honored to share this exhibit with our community and with all our national and international visitors."

The use of seals has not changed greatly since first appearing in Mesopotamia about 3500 BCE.  From about 1565 to 1776 American colonists drew ideas for symbols from many different European sources.  The search for a design for an official U.S. seal began in 1776 and ended in 1782, when the Continental Congress accepted a design created by Charles Thomson. Following its showing at the Marshall Museum, the exhibition will travel to Harriton House, the historic home of Charles Thomson, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

The exhibit is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Paul Claussen, Diplomatic Historian, Department of State, from 1972-2007, whose work and insights contributed so much to the appreciation of diplomacy's place in the world today.