Harriet Powers Bible Quilt (Reproduction)
Maker, Unknown
c. 1990
90″ x 85″
The original Bible Quilt was made in 1886 by freed slave Harriet Powers, our reproduction was commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution in 1992 and subsequently reproduced en masse in China. It was one of the nineteenth-century quilts the Smithsonian had decided to reproduce overseas. This overseas commission caused quite a stir in the quilting world. Eventually, the Smithsonian changed their minds and only three quilts were licensed overseas, with the one you see here being one of them. The December/January issue of Quilters Newsletter carriers an article about Harriet Powers and her quilts.
The figures are hand appliquéd to the background. The individual blocks are machine sewn with sashing and cornerstones. Each panel depicts a scene from the Bible. Kyra E Hicks has written a detailed account of Powers’ life and her quilts in her book, This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers’ Bible Quilt and Other Pieces.
Part of our permanent collection ~ The Susan Hyde Collection.
Photo by Mariana Foliart.
