| Harriet Powers | |
 Photograph of Harriet Powers (1901) | |
| Birth name | Harriet Powers |
| Born | October 29, 1837  Clarke County |
| Died | January 1, 1910 (aged 72) Clarke County |
| Nationality | American |
| Field | Quilting |
| Works | Bible Quilt 1886 Bible Quilt 1898 |
Harriet Powers (October 29, 1837 – January 1, 1910) was an African American slave, folk artist and quilt maker from rural Georgia. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1837 ( MDCCCXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Clarke County is a County in the US state of Georgia. As of the 2000 Census, the Population was 101489 New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Clarke County is a County in the US state of Georgia. As of the 2000 Census, the Population was 101489 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Quilting is a Sewing method done either by hand by Sewing machine, or by a longarm quilting system Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1837 ( MDCCCXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another Folk art describes a wide range of objects that reflect the Craft traditions and traditional social values of various social groups A quilt is a type of Bedding — a bed covering composed of a quilt top a layer of batting, and a layer of fabric for backing generally combined using the technique The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule She used traditional appliqué techniques to record local legends, Bible stories, and astronomical events on her quilts. In its broadest sense an applique or appliqué is a smaller ornament or device applied to another surface Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study Only two of her quilts have survived: Bible Quilt 1886 and Bible Quilt 1898. Her quilts are considered among the finest examples of nineteenth-century Southern quilting. [1] Her work is on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. The National Museum of American History collects preserves and displays American heritage in the areas of social political cultural scientific and military history Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States attracting over one million visitors a year
Contents |
Biography
Early life
Powers was born to slaves near Athens, Georgia. Athens-Clarke County is a unified city-county in Georgia, US, in the northeastern part of the state at the intersection of U For most of her life she lived in Clarke County, mainly in Sandy Creek and Buck Branch. Clarke County is a County in the US state of Georgia. As of the 2000 Census, the Population was 101489
Career
In 1886, Powers began exhibiting her quilts. Her first quilt was shown at a cotton fair in Athens; it is this quilt that is now in the Smithsonian Institution. Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of Jennie Smith, an artist and art teacher from the Lucy Cobb Institute, saw the quilt at the fair and asked to purchase it, but Powers refused to sell. The two women remained in touch, however, and when Powers met with financial difficulties five years later, she agreed to sell the piece for five dollars. At the same time Powers explained the imagery on the quilt; Smith recorded these explanations, adding notes of her own in her personal diary.
The history of the second quilt is unclear. One account suggests that it was commissioned by the wives of faculty members of Atlanta University, who had seen the first quilt at the Cotton States Exhibition in Atlanta in 1895. Clark Atlanta University (CAU is a private, historically black university in Atlanta, Georgia. According to another source, the quilt was purchased in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1898. Whatever its origins, the piece was presented to the Reverend Charles Cuthbert Hall of New York City, who was serving as the chairman of the university's board of trustees at the time. The City of New York Trustee is a Legal term that refers to a holder of property on behalf of a beneficiary. The reverend's heirs sold the quilt to collector Maxim Karolik, who then donated it to the museum in Boston. Maxim Karolik (1893–1963 was an Opera singer by profession who was notable as an Art collector and donor
Powers died on January 1, 1910, and was buried in the Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery in Athens. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Power's grave was rediscovered in January 2005. January 2005: ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September
Work
Bible Quilt 1886 and Bible Quilt 1898 consist of numerous pictorial squares depicting either biblical scenes or celestial phenomena. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Hand and machine stitched, they were made through appliqué and piecework, demonstrating both African and African American influences; they are notable jt from sms for their bold use of these techniques in storytelling. In its broadest sense an applique or appliqué is a smaller ornament or device applied to another surface Piece work or piecework describes types of Employment in which a Worker is paid a fixed "piece rate" for each unit produced or African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa The reason for Powers' interest in celestial bodies is unclear; it has been suggested that they had religious significance for her, or were related to a fraternal organization of some sort. Her interpretations of both quilts have survived, though they likely have been influenced by their recorders. Powers herself may have been illiterate, and might have used the quilts as teaching tools. traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write or the ability to use Language to read, write, listen,
Harriet Powers biographies
- Fader, Ellen. (March 1, 1994). Stitching Stars: The Story Quilts of Harriet Powers. An article from: The Horn Book Magazine. Publisher: Horn Book, Inc. Volume: v70 Issue: n2 Page: p219(2). The Horn Book Magazine, founded in Boston Massachusetts in 1924 is a bimonthly periodical about literature for children and young adults The Horn Book Magazine, founded in Boston Massachusetts in 1924 is a bimonthly periodical about literature for children and young adults
- Rizzoli. Angelo Rizzoli (born October 31, 1889 in Milan – died September 24, 1970) was an Italian Publisher and (April 15, 1994) Harriet Powers's Bible Quilts. Publisher: Rizzoli. ISBN 0-8478-1653-2
- Lawrence, Jacob. (January 1, 1997). Harriet and the Promised Land. Publisher: Aladdin. Simon & Schuster Inc, a division of CBS Corporation, is a Publisher founded in New York in 1924 by Richard L ISBN 0-689-80965-4
- Lyons, Mary E. (December 1, 1997) Stitching Stars: The Story Quilts of Harriet Powers. Publisher: Aladdin; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-689-81707-X
References
- ^ Harriet Powers Early Women Masters
Hicks, Kyra. "Black Threads: An African American Quilting Sourcebook. " Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2003. ISBN 0-7864-1374-3
See also
- African American art
- Baltimore album quilts
- Counterpane
- Duvet
- History of quilting
- History of slavery in the United States
- NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt
- Patchwork quilt
- Patchwork
- Quilt
- Quilting
External links
- African American Registry: A Queen of Folkart, Harriet Powers!
- African-American Folk Artist Harriet Powers.
- Harriet Powers: A Freed Slave Tells Stories Through Quilting.
- Southern American quilting: Harriet Powers.
- Tributes via Quilts.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Powers, Harriet |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Harriet; Powers |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Quilter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 29, 1837 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Clarke County |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 1, 1910 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Clarke County |
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