Nashville Female Academy?

Nashville, Davidson Co.

Sarah Ana Allen (1809-1885) was born in England, the daughter of Isaac Allen and Elizabeth Dunn. The family came to Nashville prior to 1820 where her father purchased a cotton and wool spinning factory. Sarah may have attended the Nashville Female Academy as its president, Rev. William Hume, performed her marriage to Phillip Mitchell. Sarah and Phillip had five children.

This magnificent pictorial embroidery takes its inspiration from the “The Light of the Harem,” part nine of the epic poem Lalla Rookh by Sir Thomas Moore, first published in 1817. A strip of paper, inserted at the bottom, is printed with the text: “Th’ enchantress now begins her spell, thus singing as winds and weaves In mystic form the glittering leaves.” For Sarah, the daughter of a textile factory owner, the words would have been significant.