Powers, Harriet, 1837-1910

Harriet Powers; BIRTH 29 Oct 1837, Madison County, Georgia, USA
DEATH: 1 Jan 1910 (aged 72), Clarke County, Georgia, USA
BURIAL: Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery, Athens, Clarke County, Georgia

Harriet Powers (October 29, 1837, Clarke County, Georgia – January 1, 1910, Clarke County, Georgia)[1] was an American folk artist and quilter. Born into slavery in rural northeast Georgia, she 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.

Powers used traditional appliqué techniques to make quilts that expressed local legends, Bible stories, and astronomical events. 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 ...