The Ladies of the Sewing Circle of the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia made this album quilt to commemorate the work of Philadelphian Ann Rhees, who supported the Church and its ongoing efforts to spread the Baptist faith. Evidence indicates that quilts made by the church’s Evangelical Sewing Society were an “institution” in the 1840s, used to raise money to support missionary efforts both in the western regions of the U.S. and in Southeast Asia. The First Baptist Church quilts are the earliest known group of fundraising quilts to date.