Mary Pickersgill

1776–1857

Maker of Fort McHenry’s large flags

Pickersgill’s household produced the storm flag and enormous garrison flag ordered for Fort McHenry in 1813.

Why this record matters

The flag was an object of skilled commercial labor before it became a national relic. Its production draws women’s work and household labor into military history.

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Sources for this dossier

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