Addie Guthrie Weaver

Addie Guthrie Weaver is credited as the author of The Story of Our Flag, Colonial and National, with Historical Sketch of the Quakeress Betsy Ross, published in Chicago in 1898. Library catalog records also note that the book’s colored illustrations of flags and Washington’s coat of arms were done by the author, suggesting she worked as both writer and illustrator.

Reliable biographical details about her life are scarce. Based on the sources available here, she is chiefly remembered through this book, which focuses on the history and symbolism of the United States flag and the popular story of Betsy Ross.

Because confirmed information about Weaver herself is limited, much of her personal background remains unclear. What does stand out is the ambition of her surviving work: a richly illustrated patriotic book that aimed to tell a national story in an accessible, visual way.