How do we see the women of the American Revolution? Few images remain, but women played key roles in the conflict, on both sides. Many were activists, organizing boycotts, weaving homespun for uniforms, and raising funds. Some were spies. They often used a pen as their weapon, writing both privately and in public. These women begin with Mercy Otis Warren, painted in about 1763 by John Singleton Copley in an elaborate silk gown. Warren’s direct gaze implies engagement with the world: she was highly educated, engaged; a poet, a proponent of liberty, and the author of plays denigrating British rule. From Warren to Abigail Adams, Martha Washington, Elizabeth Freeman, Phyllis Wheatley, and others, discover the women who left their mark on American history and American art.

Erica Hirshler, Croll Senior Curator of American Paintings, Art of the Americas

Course Packages

Purchase a ticket package for the full eight-session “America at 250: Expanding the American Story Through Art” course. Please note that this option is not available after the date of the first session.