Maria Elizabeth Swann (maiden name: Bell) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 29, 1814, to William and Margaret Bell. Her father was a Philadelphia stockbroker who died in December 1834 “after a protracted illness.” Maria was reportedly “one of the greatest belles [of] that day,” and she married Virginia planter Wilson Cary Swann on October 12, 1847. For the next few years, they divided their time between Philadelphia and Virginia. When Maria’s health declined, however, Wilson sold his plantation, freed his forty slaves, and moved permanently to Philadelphia. He built a “magnificent property” on Walnut Street and filled the house with “paintings, sculpture, carvings and curios from every part of the globe.” Wilson used his fortune to patronize the arts and promote civic reform, and Maria reportedly “did a great deal for charity in a quiet way.”

After Wilson died in March 1876, Maria continued collecting art and donating to charity. In 1886, a reporter described her as “one of the millionaire women of the city,” who “lives alone in her great house” except for her servants and her dog Dot. She spent the final decades of her life in poor health, reportedly “afflicted with a form of nervous prostration which confined her to her apartments.” She died on March 21, 1891, leaving behind a fortune variously estimated at $200,000 to $5,000,000. She bequeathed money to local library associations, prayer book societies, hospitals, and religious organizations and gave thousands of dollars to her servants, friends, and dog. She also left the Philadelphia Fountain Society $50,000 to build a “large and handsome fountain in memory of my beloved husband.”