American Colonial Women and Their Art

Less celebrated than their male counterparts, women have been vital contributors to the arts. Works by women of the colonial era represent treasured accomplishments of American culture and still impress us today, centuries after their creation. The breadth of creative expression is as impressive as the women themselves.

In American Colonial Women and Their Art: A Chronological Encyclopedia, Mary Ellen Snodgrass follows the history of creative expression from the early 1600s to the late 1700s. Drawing upon primary sources—such as letters, diaries, travel notes, and journals—this timeline encompasses a wide variety of artistic accomplishment, such as:

Stitchery, quilting, and rug hookingPainting, sculpture, and sketchesEssays, poems, and other writingsDance, acting, and oratoryMusical composition and performance
Individual talents highlighted in this volume include miniature portraits by Mary Roberts, pastel likenesses by Henrietta Dering Johnston, stagecraft by Elizabeth Sampson Sullivan Ashbridge, basketry by Namumpum Weetamoo, dance by Mary Stagg, metalwork by blacksmith Elizabeth Hager Pratt, calligraphy by Anna “Anastasia” Thomas Wüster, city planning by Deborah Dunch Moody, poems and essays by Phillis Wheatley, and fabric design by Anne Pogue McGinty.

Featuring appendices that list individuals by skill and by state—as well as a glossary that clarifies the parameters of genres—this volume is essential to the study of Colonial women’s art. Resurrecting the efforts of women to record, adorn, and illustrate the spirit of their times, American Colonial Women and Their Art is a valuable resource that will be of interest to students and scholars of gender and women’s studies, art history, and American history.

Author Biography

Mary Ellen Snodgrass taught high school and university English and Latin for 23 yearsand served as a state humanities lecturer and member of the NC Library Commission. She is the author of award-winning reference volumes including Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature (2006), Encyclopedia of Utopian Literature (1995), Encyclopedia of Fable (1998), Encyclopedia of the Underground Railroad (2007), and Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion (2013). Snodgrass is also the author The Encyclopedia of World Ballet (2015) and The Encyclopedia of World Folk Dance (2016) both published by Rowman & Littlefield.