Bible Quilt
1886

"Not for sale at any price"
This pieced-and-appliqued cotton quilt is an expression of one woman's love for the Scriptures. It was made by Harriet Powers, an African American farm woman from Clark County, GA. The quilt has 11 rectangular blocks of various sizes, each depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The quilt was exhibited at the cotton fair of 1886 in Athens, GA, where it captured the imagination of Jennie Smith, a young, internationally trained local artist. "I have spent my whole life in the South," wrote Smith, "and am perfectly familiar with thirty patterns of quilts, but I had never seen an original design"--until she saw Powers's Bible quilt. "I offered to buy it," recalled Smith, "but it was not for sale at any price."

	88-1/2" wide x 73-3/4" long
	Harriet Powers (1837-1911)
	Web display only

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