Alice Archer Sewall James (1870-1955)

About the Artist

Alice Archer Sewall James was born in 1870 in Glendale, Ohio to Thedia Redelia Gilchrist and Rev. Frank Sewall. Her father was an 1858 graduate of Bowdoin College and further studied at universities in Germany and France before entering the pastorate in Glendale. Following Alice’s birth, the family moved to Urbana, Ohio and Rev. Sewall became the first president of Urbana University, a role he held for 16 years. Sewall was ordained in the New Church (Swedenborgian) ministry in 1863. The family later moved to Washington D.C. where he was the pastor of the Church of the New Jerusalem for 25 years. In addition to his pastoral duties, Sewall was a member of the National Society of Fine Arts and a well-known author, educator and painter.