[1][2] Allegorical figures of Liberty (left) and Justice (right) support the shield and an American eagle spreads its wings above on a world globe.

The center shield displays a masted ship and a sloop on the Hudson River (symbols of inland and foreign commerce) bordered by a grassy shore and a mountain range with the sun rising behind it.

On the back is an image of Mount Beacon with the Hudson River in the Front (Across from West Point),[citation needed] with the legend "Frustra."

There were apparently some informal variations over time as well, which led to the formation of a commission, in 1880, to determine the "exact description of the arms established in 1778.

"[4] The commission's conclusions, which were reported to the New York Legislature in 1881 and included "a description of the arms in language such as might be sufficient for the exact arms of the state to be constructed," resulted in the fourth version of the seal, established by chapter 190 of the (New York State) laws of 1881.