Jennie Armstrong Portrait

Jennie Armstrong was one of the first five coeds in America, having been listed on the roll book of Blount College (according to UT historian Moses White) in 1804. In 1946 Mary Grainger, retired Knoxville art teacher and great-granddaughter of Jennie Armstrong, presented UT with a portrait of Armstrong, which she had inherited. The portrait is by an unknown artist and is believed to have survived the Civil War. It was restored by the Knoxville Art League prior to its presentation to UT. The presentation took place in the Jennie Armstrong section of Sophronia Strong Hall. Frank Nelson, music teacher and great-grandson of Armstrong, made the presentation, and President Emeritus James D. Hoskins accepted for the university.