War period & reconstruction period legislative action on the official commonwealth seal, 1861 add the words “Liberty and Union”. 1873, removed the words “Liberty and Union”. 1903, returned the language of the 1776 Convention on the description of the seal.
“An act of assembly adopted in 1873 directed that new copies of the seal, a greater one and a lesser one, be struck and that the words "Liberty and Union" not appear on either side of either seal. In 1903 the General Assembly passed another law concerning the seal, in essentially the same language that the Convention of 1776 had adopted (but incorporating the 1779 replacement of the words "Deus nobis haec otia fecit" with "Perserverando"), and subsequent acts of 1950, 1966, and 2005 continued to describe the seal in the same manner, specifying the sizes of the great and lesser seals, and regulating their use.”
1930, I guess this will be post-reconstruction, the description of the dress of Roman goddess Virtue was interrupted of Amazon dress, Virtue’s breast being exposed.
None of the flags that I have seen, except for one or two Regimental company flags, war period or reconstruction period, is the goddess exposed. That is on flags, the official Commonwealth Seal, the goddess is exposed in 1930. The artist who painted the seal on the flag may have taken some liberties on the seal but officially, the seal itself the 1873 rumor is rubbish.
Source: The Seal of Virginia by Edward S. Evans.
Secretary of the Commonwealth, tracings of Official Seal from Official Documents, Library of Virginia.
The wording of the Georgia Legislature is somewhat vague and then too, the artist or maker of the seal interruption the intent, deference's can be expected. I guess that way we have lawyers, judges & historians.
I trust my research & sources on the variations of the Virginia Commonwealth Great Seal.
Happy Trails!
Tom Martin
www.Confederate-flags.org