Mary Palmer was a spinning frame worker and Nathaniel Banks was a “bobbin boy” when they met as child laborers in a textile mill in Waltham, Massachusetts. Eager to obtain an education and improve their prospects, they studied together in night schools at the end of their long hours at the mill. Following a lengthy courtship, the couple married in 1847. They’re featured in Powerful Partnerships: Civil War-Era Couples, an exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery, on view through May 18, 2025.
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