by 
The Curious Bag
-
The Cadillac automobile emblem is adopted from the coat of arms from French explorer Le Sieur Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who established Detroit. The irony is that Cadillac is an assumed name. The explorer's real name was Antoine Laumet.
Background
The Cadillac emblem is a rare automobile logo taken directly from a family crest, and its various permutations over a century are considered works of art, according to home.iag.ne and car-nection.com.
Crown and Shield
The crown represents the six counts of France, with the shield of the Crusades representing the origins of the Cadillac family.
Quarter Segments
Early versions' first and fourth quarters feature the de la Mothe arms, with the Holy Trinity birds representing contributions in the Crusades.
Remaining Quarters
A series of horizontal bars display a red bar for bold action, silver for purity and virtue, and blue for valor.
Assumed Name
The name Cadillac is a fake. Cadillac, born Antoine Laumet, assumed a new identity in America after escaping debts and Protestant persecution in France.
New Design
The contemporary emblem no longer features the birds, but the bold-colored bars remain, according to car-nection.com. The emblem was first used in 1905 by Cadillac founder Henry Leland and patented in 1906.
Source:
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC