Harriet Powers: Textile Artist (Quilter)

 

Harriet Powers was born into slavery in 1837 near Athens, Georgia. It is not certain how many quilts she made in her lifetime, but we know of two that have survived:  the Bible Quilt from 1886 and the Pictorial Quilt from 1888. Both are proudly displayed at museums in Washington, D.C. and Boston, Massachusetts. Just last month, a set of U.S. stamps was issued in honor of Harriet Powers.  I have a photo of the stamps above.  You know I had to buy myself some too!  I must admit a fondness for stamps. If you are new to reading my blog, look over on the side there, and you will read that I married my pen pal!  Yes, Richard and I wrote actual letters to each other for nine years. (I always tried my best to find interesting stamps to go on his letters!) Back then, all our stamps had an actual money amount stamped upon them. Now, the stamps that we buy are "forever" stamps and are supposed to be good, no matter if the postal prices increase. (And they do, very often!) Therefore, we are not able to use these "forever" stamps on letters or cards sent out of the country, we must buy the round "airmail" stamps that to me are rather bland.  Oh well! 

Before, I started telling you about how much I love stamps, I was talking about Harriet Powers.  You would not believe how much I have read about her!  I only just heard of her when a group of people were petitioning the United States Postal Advisory Committee to get them to approve her quilts as a choice for new stamps. (Did you know that there are folks trying to get stamps issued all the time?  No living person can be on a United States stamp and it must reflect American history, culture or environment.)

 There is a really great piece that I read about Harriet Powers and I strongly urge you to click on the following to read it!  Harriet Powers: Rediscovered Artist-Storyteller | DailyArt Magazine

I do hope you are able to see that! You will be rewarded with an actual photograph of Harriet Powers herself!  You will see that even though she dressed very neatly for the camera, she made sure that she wore an apron, no doubt made by herself! (You can recognize the sun.) In my reading about her, it seems that there is some confusion about whether or not she could read or write. I am thinking that she must have learned to do so, perhaps later in her life.  Here are some quotes from her regarding the pictures in her quilts, speaking of an eclipse," The sun went off to a small spot and then to darkness."  And of a meteor shower, "The falling of the stars on Nov. 13, 1833. God's hands staid the stars". Her description of the quilt she made of the Lord's Supper, "I composed a quilt of the Lord's Supper. 2 thousand and 500 diamonds."  

The imagery of her words!  How I love them!  At the beginning of this post, I told you that she had been born into slavery. Just let that sink in for a moment. Consider what her life would have been like, from 1837 until 1910.    Her quilts must have been very special to her. Harriet Powers is buried in Athens, Georgia. I read that in 2023, her memorial headstone at the Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery was restored. It was sponsored by the Women of Color Quilters Network. It is my hope that this post conveys my deep respect for Harriet Powers and for all who work with their hands to create beauty. 

Quilting! My own grandmother made quilts in North Georgia. She lived to be 96 years old.  My very own brother makes the most beautiful quilts! Did I also get a set of the Harriet Powers stamps for him too?  You know I did! 

I wonder what you think of my very colorful tablecloth I like to use at Christmas? One year, I placed all the Christmas cracker hats together and put an orange on top of them.  I just liked the colors! (By the way, Harriet Powers quilts were much more colorful. The ones that we have left have faded but they are still beautiful.)

Keep looking for beauty, always.   "2 thousand and 500 diamonds."

Harriet Powers' quilts leave a complicated legacy for her descendent | WBUR News