Ruth, Orpah, and Naomi, 1855

[1] According to two letters to William Gerdts, in NGA curatorial files, the relief came into possession of the Sisters of Sacred Heart sometime between 1872, when they opened a school in Providence called Convent of the Sacred Heart, Elmhurst, and 1920, when they began recording items in their "Gift Book." The school moved to Portsmouth in 1961, and was then known as the Elmhurst Academy of the Sacred Heart, until it closed in 1972. At that time, Sister Clare McGowan (d. 1993) asked if she could have the relief and brought it to Stone Ridge Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, where she was headmistress. The relief was displayed at the Rhode Island schools, but not at the Maryland school. (The letters are dated 7 May 1971, from Sister Rainsford, and 31 March 1976, from Sister McGowan.)