Harriet Powers Bible quilt 1898
first impressions:
when I first saw this the first thing that i noticed was the black
box up at the top. I like how Harriet Powers tells many stories
in one piece of art. one thing that i noticed was that she used
only a couple of colors and that they were colors that were not
bright and more grays and browns. i think she choose this because
colors like gray and black are drab colors and most of her stories are
about slavery and you wouldn't normally use happy colors in those
kinds of situations.
what I learned:
Harriet Powers was a black slave. she would use tradditional applique
techniques to show legends, bible stories, and astronomical events.
only two of her quilts have survived but are concodered some of the
finest examples of southern quilting. you can see the originals in The
National Museum of American History and the Museum of Fine Arts
Damon,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your notes on Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt. She made this quilt to tell Bible Stories. She did not go to school or learn how to read or write. I think it is wonderful that she used her creativity to tell stories she heard at church or in Sunday School through fabrics.
I am writing a book about Harriet Powers and the quilt you have in your blog. I've even seen this quilt in PERSON! The quilt was made in the 1880s - that's over 100 years old. Can you imagine sleeping under a quilt that is over 100 years old? No one sleeps under this Bible Quilt as it is in a museum now.
I'll have to come back and learn more about the artwork your class is learning about.
Best, Kyra E. Hicks
author, "Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria"
www.BlackThreads.blogspot.com - this is my blog featuring quilts made by other people. Have you seen a quilt about President Obama?