The 19th-century American artist Harriet Powers is known for her patchwork quilts with appliqués depicting scenes from biblical stories and legends common in her home state of Georgia (USA). These are some of the finest quilting creations of the century before last, which have taken their rightful place in the collections of the National Museum of American History (Washington) and the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston).
In 1886, Harriet Powers exhibited her quilt for the first time at the Georgia Cotton Show. It was the "Bible Canvas" that caught the attention of art teacher Danny Smith. She bought the work, and Harriet Powers explained the meaning of the drawings to her. In 1898, the artist created another blanket, which later came to the American opera singer and collector Maxim Karolik.
Each work of Powers consists of several panels with different images. On the "Bible Canvas" you can see such famous stories as the life of Adam and Eve in Eden, the murder of Abel, Jonah and Kit by Cain, etc. Black Americans interpreted some of the drawings in their own way. For example, the story of Jacob, who saw a ladder in a dream, symbolizes an escape from slavery. At the same time, the craftswoman turned to the topic of natural phenomena, showing her impressions of the retellings of strong fires and meteor showers.
The blankets are partly hand-sewn, partly machine-made. As for the style of the images, art historians see their similarity with the works of masters from West Africa, in particular from Benin. Similar minimalist figures are found in the works of the Ashanti, Fanti, and Ewe peoples. Interest in religious and mythological themes reflected the views of Harriet Powers' entourage: society was brought up under the influence of Sunday Christian sermons and old folk traditions passed from mouth to mouth.
