This quilt, created by formerly enslaved African American Harriet Powers, depicted biblical scenes and was displayed at the Athens Cotton Fair in 1886. Powers initially refused to sell the creation until years later when she and her husband faced hard times, and it is now held in the Smithsonian Institution's collection.
She quilted both by hand and using a machine and displayed one of her creations called the Bible quilt.
— Episode: The Sleepy History of Quilting (Bonus)
Episode: The Sleepy History of Quilting (Bonus)
This quilt, created by formerly enslaved African American Harriet Powers, depicted biblical scenes and was displayed at the Athens Cotton Fair in 1886. Powers initially refused to sell the creation until years later when she and her husband faced hard times, and it is now held in the Smithsonian Institution's collection.
She quilted both by hand and using a machine and displayed one of her creations called the Bible quilt.
They included depictions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the story of Cain and Abel, the baptism, and the Last Supper, among others.