William Driver - Tennessee State Museum

Tennessee State Museum

Record No:	76.33
Subject:	Driver, William
Artist:	Unknown
Date:	Unknown
Media:	Oil on canvas.
Dimensions:	Frame 26.50 X 17.50
Location:	TN State Museum 505 Deadrick Street. Nashville, TN 37243 Web Contact: TN State Museum

History:	There is no apparent signature or date on the painting. The painting is an upper torso view with the subject's body facing to his left and his head facing forward. He is dressed in civilian clothing and appears to be of an advanced age.The portrait was presented to the state by Driver's daughter in 1927.
Notes:	William Driver (1803-1886) is known for giving the name "Old Glory" to the U.S. flag. He was born in the East and went to sea early in his life. He became a sea captain and returned the survivors of the H.M.S. Bounty from Tahiti to Pitcairn Island. He moved to Nashville, TN in 1837. "Old Glory" had been made by his mother and during the Civil War, he hid it inside a quilt for safety. He served as Provost Marshall for the Union Army during Nashville's occupation. The Driver family donated the flag to the Smithsonian Institute in 1922. He is buried in the Nashville City Cemetery and has a unique monument that he is said to have designed himself.
Categories:	Portrait paintings;Civil War; Merchants; Men.