by William Strollo
It is easy to assume that Hannah Morgan Stillman, seen draped in pricey textiles and sitting in a finely upholstered armchair, lived a life of leisure. However, Stillman’s black lace shawl in the circa-1789 portrait by Christopher Gullager also suggests that she is in mourning. At the time of this portrait sitting, Stillman had given birth to 14 children. Of these children, only half survived to adulthood.
But Stillman’s affection for children did not end with her own. In 1799, at the age of 60, she organized a group of women to sponsor the formation of the Boston Female Asylum. Formally established in 1800 and incorporated three years later, the Boston Female Asylum aimed to care for orphaned girls and to find them “good and virtuous families.” Stillman recruited subscribers to the cause, each of whom paid $3 each year to support the Boston Female Asylum. Members included notable figures like then First Lady Abigail Adams and her daughter-in-law and future First Lady Louisa Catherine Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams.
Stillman served as the Boston Female Asylum’s first director until her death in 1821; by then, hundreds of girls are believed to have been placed in loving homes. Though the asylum evolved over the centuries in scale and name, Stillman’s imprint remains in what is today The Home for Little Wanderers. Stillman’s striking portrait reminds us of her enduring legacy and her unshakable commitment to service.