author
Mrs. Emma Look Scott
b. 1858
A little-known early 20th-century writer, she is remembered for turning the story of the American flag into a sweeping, accessible work of history and patriotic storytelling. Her best-known book blends research, narrative sketches, and verse to trace how "Old Glory" became a national symbol.
1 Audiobook
How the Flag Became Old Glory
by Mrs. Emma Look Scott
About the author
Emma Look Scott is a largely obscure American author whose surviving published work is How the Flag Became Old Glory. Project Gutenberg and the Internet Archive both identify her as Emma Look Scott, Mrs., 1858-, confirming her birth year while leaving many personal details hard to verify.
Her best-known book was published by The Macmillan Company in 1915, with copyright credited to Emma Look Scott in 1912 and illustrations by A. C. Valentine. The book presents the history of the United States flag through narrative episodes, historical commentary, and selected poems, with a strong focus on Captain William Driver and the origin of the nickname "Old Glory."
Because so little biographical information is readily documented, Scott remains known more through this single surviving volume than through a full public life story. That makes her an interesting figure for readers of forgotten nonfiction: a writer who gathered patriotic history, literature, and legend into one ambitious work that has outlived its era.