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What year did Mary Pickersgill make the flag?
1813
In the summer of 1813, Mary Pickersgill (1776–1857) was contracted to sew two flags for Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. The one that became the Star-Spangled Banner was a 30 x 42–foot garrison flag; the other was a 17 x 25–foot storm flag for use in inclement weather.
Who helped Mary Pickersgill?
Grace Wisher
Mary Pickersgill, Flag Maker It was a large flag, and he wanted it as soon as possible. With these instructions, Pickersgill called in all the help she could. Mary was joined by her elderly mother, three nieces, and an African American indentured servant named Grace Wisher.
Why did Mary Pickersgill make the Star-Spangled Banner?
The daughter of another noted flag maker, Rebecca Young, Pickersgill learned her craft from her mother, and, in 1813, was commissioned by Major George Armistead to make a flag for Baltimore’s Fort McHenry that was so large that the British would have no difficulty seeing it from a great distance.
What is the Red upside down V shape on the flag?
Collect Stars To Complete The Flag What is the red upside-down “v” shape on the flag? It is a patch sewn on by conservators to cover a hole in the flag.
What did Mary Pickersgill do for a living?
From 1828 until 1851, Mary Pickersgill was President of the Impartial Female Humane Society that helped impoverished families with school vouchers for children and employment for women. Under her presidency, the Society established a home for aged women in 1850.
How old was Mary Young when she married John Pickersgill?
Young moved her family to Baltimore, Maryland when Mary was a child, and it was from her mother that Mary learned the craft of flag making. On October 2, 1795, at the age of 19, Mary married John Pickersgill, a merchant, and moved back to Philadelphia with her husband.
Who was the artist who painted Mary Pickersgill?
About the time of the American Bicentennial, noted artist Robert McGill Mackall created a painting depicting Mary Pickersgill and her helpers in the malt house of a brewery, sewing the “Star-Spangled Banner”. A copy of the painting is maintained by the Maryland Historical Society.
Where was Mary Pickersgill’s home in Baltimore located?
Mary Pickersgill s home at 844 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, was opened in 1927 as the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Museum and in 1969 was designated a National Historic Landmark. In 1933, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company named a dining car in her honor and a World War II Liberty Ship carries her name.