Harriet Powers | |
|---|---|
 Photograph of Harriet Powers (1901) | |
| Born | Harriet Powers October 29, 1837 |
| Died | January 1, 1910 (aged 72) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Quilting |
| Notable work | Bible Quilt 1886 Pictorial Quilt 1898 |
Harriet Powers (October 29, 1837 – January 1, 1910)[1] was an American folk artist and quilter born into slavery in rural northeast Georgia. Powers used traditional appliqué techniques to make quilts that expressed local legends, Bible stories, and astronomical events. Powers married young and had a large family. After the American Civil War and emancipation, she and her husband became landowners by the 1880s, but lost their land due to financial problems.
Only two of her quilts are known to have survived: Bible Quilt 1886 and Pictorial Quilt 1898. Her quilts are considered among the finest examples of nineteenth-century Southern quilting.[2] Her work is on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts
- ^ Ashley Callahan. "Harriet Powers (1837–1910)". New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- ^ Harriet Powers Archived October 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Early Women Masters.