Dorothea Dandridge Henry Grave Marker

Name/Title

Dorothea Dandridge Henry Grave Marker

Entry/Object ID

2023.21

Description

Cast bronze grave marker bearing the insignia of the Daughters of the American Revolution above a rectangular plaque. The insignia is made up of a spinning wheel and distaff surrounded by thirteen stars. Both are mounded to a bronze stake concreted into the ground. Insignia reads: DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Plaque reads: MARKER PLACED BY / DOROTHEA HENRY CHAPTER / NSDAR

Type of Sculpture

Free Standing

Artwork Details

Medium

Bronze

Made/Created

Artist

Unknown

Dimensions

Height

16-1/4 in

Width

6 in

Provenance

Notes

This is a cast bronze Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Patriot Marker, placed on the graves of women associated with the American Revolution. The marker bears the official insignia of the DAR. This insignia was unanimously adopted by the DAR National Board of Management on May 26, 1891, and patented September 22, 1891. The thirteen-spoked wheel of the insignia represents a spinning wheel; the distaff (a stick or spindle onto which wool or flax is wound for spinning) represents flax; the blue rim and the distaff carry the colors of the society; and the stars represent the original thirteen colonies. To commemorate Dorothea Dandridge (1757-1831), the second wife of Patrick Henry, Sallie Penn organized the Dorothea Henry Chapter of the DAR in Danville, Virginia in 1894. To celebrate the 245th anniversary of Dorothea's birth, the chapter placed this marker at her grave on October 9, 2002. The marker was accessioned into the collection in April 2023 to ensure its continued preservation as a historical artifact.