Bald eagle 1782, the Continental Congress adopted the design for the Great Seal of the United States depicting a bald eagle grasping 13 arrows and an olive branch with its talons. The bald eagle appears on most official seals of the U.S. government, including the presidential seal, the presidential flag, and in the logos of many U.S. federal agencies. Between 1916 and 1945, the presidential flag (but not the seal) showed an eagle facing to its left (the viewer's right), which gave rise to the urban legend that the flag is changed to have the eagle face towards the olive branch in
Seal of the United States Senate Millard was a New York City woodcarver who was active from the 1830s to 1860s and well known for his life-sized animals and human figures. The eagle is life-sized at 53.5 inches (135.9 cm) high, 72 inches (182.9 cm) wide, and 23 inches (58.4 cm) deep, and the design is derived from the Great Seal of the United States. When the Senate moved to its new quarters in 1859 and the Supreme Court took over use of the room, the shield was placed over one of the outside doors, while the eagle was placed elsewhere in the room. In 1976,