Grace Wisher

life dates unknown

Worker in Mary Pickersgill’s household

Grace Wisher was a young African American indentured servant in the Pickersgill household when the Fort McHenry flags were made.

Why this record matters

Her documented presence changes the object’s story. The Star-Spangled Banner was produced within Baltimore’s racial, legal, household, and labor systems, not by a solitary patriotic heroine.

Read the connected story →Back to the people collection

Follow the evidence

Sources for this dossier

Grace WisherNational Park Service · biographical study
The African American indentured girl who worked in Mary Pickersgill's household as the great flag was made.
The Star-Spangled BannerSmithsonian National Museum of American History · object record
Object history, dimensions, material, and conservation.