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No. 14The 1800s
A quilt divided into fifteen squares with appliquéd figures, animals, stars and suns in reds, browns and blues.African American quilting

Harriet Powers

1837 – 1910 · United States

Told Bible stories and falling stars in stitched cotton.

Pictorial Quilt, 1895–1898. Harriet Powers. Public domain · Source: Wikimedia Commons

Textile · Quilting

Harriet Powers

1837 – 1910 · United States

Born into slavery in Georgia, she made appliquéd quilts that work like illustrated storybooks, mixing Bible scenes with local legends and real astronomical events.

Know more on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)

Fact file

Born
1837
Died
1910
Country
United States
Era
The 1800s
Style
African American quilting
Disciplines
Textile, Quilting
Key work
Pictorial Quilt (1895–1898)
Medium
Pieced, appliquéd and printed cotton
Where to see it
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA

Curiosity!

Documented

One panel shows the 'dark day' of 1780 and another a famous meteor shower of 1833 — history stitched in fabric.

What we know (and what we don’t)

  • Documented

    Only two of her quilts are known to survive: the Bible Quilt and this Pictorial Quilt.

  • It is believed

    Some scholars connect her appliqué style to West African textile traditions; the link is debated.

Where to see her

On view right now

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Museums that own her work

Owning isn’t always showing: works rotate, go into storage or travel on loan — check before you go.

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Exhibition list last checked 25 Oct 2026.