Customer Reviews

This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces

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A sensation from the moment it was first exhibited, since 1886 the Bible Quilt and its reprise, the Pictorial Quilt, made by Georgia native and former slave Harriet Powers has been featured in more than 150 news articles, books, poems and plays. It is thus both remarkable and embarrassing that not until Kyra Hicks's latest work has anyone bothered to verify the received wisdom about the woman who is arguably the world's best-known quilter.

Hicks's easy, conversational and very personal tone belies the painstaking care of her research. What apparently began as an annotated bibliography snowballed into an astonishingly detailed provenance which both documents the lives of key figures in the quilts' history and refutes commonly held, if perennially evolving, assumptions about Powers.

It soon becomes clear to the reader that from the first, everyone who saw Powers's Bible Quilt regarded it as not only unique, but a work of art - high praise given its abstract design, the status of quilts as homely craft, and the tenuous role of black women in turn-of-the-century rural Georgia. Among the visitors of both races crowding to see it at the 1886 Northeast Georgia Fair was Jennie Smith, a white art teacher at an Athens girls' school. Smith was so captivated she tracked down Powers and offered to buy the quilt. After three meetings in four years, she convinced Powers to sell, agreeing to supply the avid quilter with fabric scraps and granting her what can best be described as visitation rights to the quilt. Smith carefully recorded Powers's description of the quilt's subjects, and exhibited it at least once thereafter, identifying Powers as the maker. In 1969 Smith's executor donated the quilt to the Smithsonian, and again it became a sensation.

Other Powers admirers purchased or commissioned a variation now known as the Pictorial Quilt, presented to Charles Cuthbert Hall in 1898 probably when he became Union Theological Seminary's new president. For years Hall displayed it on the wall of his summer house, and even as a child, Hall's great-grandson knew the quilt was "a living thing, not meant to be on a bed, but meant to be art." Like the Bible Quilt, the Pictorial Quilt long remained in appreciative private hands; then in 1961, art collector Maxim Karolik acquired it on behalf of Boston's Museum of Fine Art, where it has been on display since 1975. (It is currently in storage while the MFA undergoes renovation.)

Hicks's tenacious pursuit of primary sources uncovered crucial details about Powers's life which future researchers cannot ignore. She also confirms suspicions that these were not Powers's only quilts. In fact, Powers appears to have been something of a competitor, winning at least one prize for another 1880s quilt. Powers herself describes a fourth quilt's distinctive appearance; is it still hidden, unidentified, in some collection?
It is hard for any diligent researcher to resist sharing every tidbit we unearth; too often, every toy is our favorite. But this can distract rather than illuminate. The reader feels ungrateful complaining that Hicks sometimes provides *too much* information about peripheral characters; nevertheless it is hard not to wish that, for example, the thirteen pages on Karolik's life had instead been devoted to Powers's early years (rarely discussed in other sources) and careful descriptions of the quilts' materials and techniques, both of which Hicks seems to have omitted. But this is praising with faint damns. Hicks's main fault is modesty: she seems to view her book as supplemental when it should be the axis on which any reading on Powers revolves.

The author does yeoman's work viewing her subjects in historical context. A self-identified Christian familiar with Biblical iconography, she avoids the common pitfall of treating Powers's imagery as inscrutable and exotic, and she refrains from Rorschach-test psychologizing. While frankly confronting the patronizing racism of another era, she is also heroically "slow to wrath" (although the reader is baffled by her observation that "no African-American made quilts [were] included" in the groundbreaking 1971 Whitney quilt exhibition, as none of those quilts' makers appear to have been identified.)

Hicks might be amused that white vaudevillian and "Negro mimic" Lucine Finch, fabricator in 1914 of a grotesquely stereotyped "interview" with Powers (who had died four years before), appears to have been no respecter of persons regardless of race - even when she knew them personally. One review sneered that as Mother Goose in her friend's operetta, Finch "unfortunately trusted to her own capacity for making up things on the spur of the moment in preference to adhering to the lines of the part." Hicks's careful work marks a break with this kind of poetic license, and our appreciation of Powers is better for it.

If you like mystery stories, quilts or quilt history, and, particularly, if you are one of the legions of persons who admire or have heard of the two famous Harriet Powers quilts, this is a "MUST" read!

Kyra Hicks is an extraordinary researcher who will tenaciously follow a lead wherever it takes her - intellectually and physically. "This I Accomplish" - actual words of Harriet Powers - allows you to follow Hicks as she discovers and uncovers important, previously unknown, DOCUMENTED facts about Mrs. Powers.

Swearing me to secrecy, Kyra periodically shared information as she returned from trips, found documents, located people, etc. One of her disclosures about a mischievous child had me running to get a large photo of the quilt while we were on the telephone. It is hilarious! Believe me, those tidbits did not mar my reading the book. I literally could not put it down, except for brief periods, until I completed it.

Kyra knows that she has not learned all that there is to know about the Harriet Powers story. Not only does she challenge others to continue the research, she - unselfishly - points out possible leads to follow. As one of "Harriet's Daughters" ( www.MarleneOBryantSeabrook.com/powers2.html ), I thank Kyra Hicks for this book!

Kyra Hicks has added so much to previously-available information about Harriet Powers and her quilts. I really appreciate the amount of details she includes all through the book and in the almost 200 entries in an annotated Bibliography.

This is a book that is difficult to put down, and one that will serve as a reference for all who are interested in Harriet Powers and her renowned quilts.

This is the third book I have seen, written by Ms. Hicks, and none of them have been disappointing. Quite the opposite effect, I'd say! This book is charming in the way the information is presented and because it is such a thorough look at the subject, although as any researcher knows ... there is always more to uncover!

Kyra's intimate style of revealing her research findings, step by step, feels like a Nancy Drew mystery unfolding before me. It is a page turner. "This I Accomplish" is intended for adults, but certainly would be enjoyed by younger history buffs too.

Through Kyra's book we learn facts never revealed about Harriet Powers, the former slave, born in 1837, who became the recognized quilt maker known today for her primitive style appliqué quilts depicting tales from the Bible and American history.

The intimate quality of this delightful book about a 19th century African-American woman is due to Kyra's passion for it and joy exclaimed at each successful juncture in her discovery process. Kyra's deep respect and admiration for Harriet is easily sensed throughout the book, making Harriet became a real person and furthering my appreciation of her life.

About half of the book is a long version of the tale of discovery of Harriet Powers, her quilts and their owners and it contains photos. The last half of the book is broken into sections with detailed additional information to document Harriet Powers fully and to aid future researchers including an annotated comprehensive bibliography, timeline, and contemporary quilts made in honor of Harriet Powers.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. I recommend it to quilt history enthusiasts, quilters, students of women's history, genealogists, new researchers wondering what the process is like for someone else, and female detective story buffs.

Fascinating! From the opening words of this book to the closing ones...a spellbinding tale is woven.

Kyra Hicks has long been dedicated to making accessible comprehensive information about quiltmaking among African Americans from historical as well as contemporary perspectives. Her sourcebook, Black Threads, covers 200 years and cites more than 1,700 bibliographic references. With This I Accomplish, Kyra moves from the general to the specific and focuses on the extraordinary work of one woman, Harriet Powers, who against all odds has been celebrated for her creativity, vision, and mastery.

It is utterly remarkable that quilts made in the 1880's by a former slave have not only been carefully and lovingly preserved, but from the beginning were considered to be art, not bedcovers. But who were the caretakers through the years and how did they come to play such an important role in the conservation of this historical artwork? And just how accurate are all those unchallenged assumptions that have long been made about Harriet Powers based simply on her past status as a slave?

This I Accomplish is a masterpiece of scholarship and detective work. The amount of research that Kyra Hicks has done to unravel these mysteries and her willingness to follow even the slightest lead is astonishing. She undertook a herculean task to find and assemble the myriad pieces of this puzzle. The details she shares are fascinating, and the reader will be astounded by the significance of previously unknown information that Kyra has been able to uncover and now discloses.

This book is a testament to Kyra's skills as a scholar, to her dedication to the preservation of history, and to her deep admiration and respect for the artistry and legacy of Harriet Powers.

If you want a book with a lot of pictures this is not for you. But if you want to read about the thrill of a quilt historian's research as she discovers that all the information we had about Harriet Powers being an illiterate women were totally false you will love this book. This is a landmark in debunking the old assumptions that African American slave women were ignorant and unable to read or write.

I purchased this book because my mother is fascinated by the bible quilt. She was delighted by the information and is now trying to reproduce some of the images in a tribute to the original. Any quilter who is especially interested in the history and the social aspect of quilting would be delighted with this book.

This I Accomplished introduces the reader to a fascinating piece of American history which is "stitched together" in the words and works of pioneering quilt artist Harriet Powers. Best known for two magnificent story quilts (one in the Smithsonian American History Museum, Washington, D.C., and the other in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), Ms. Powers' life and artistry have been closely studied for many years, but this easy-to-read, fast-paced book goes beyond previous volumes to reveal an in-depth look at the life and times of this amazing artist. Kyra Hicks' well-researched book takes one on a journey through the history of the famed quilts of Harriet Powers ... and what an amazing creative journey it is! Readers are held spellbound from page to page as discoveries unfold and reveal previously unknown details of Powers' life. In reading this fascinating book, one experiences the excitement of Ms. Hicks' discoveries as her personal way of writing allows the reader to share her discoveries as if they are the reader's own. If you are looking for a book in which you can become a part of the history being revealed, This I Accomplished is the book for you. It is a joy to read, again and again. Most importantly, it puts the reader on a path that encourages them to seek out more information about the wonderful Harriet Powers.

Once again, Kyra E. Hicks has broken new ground! This time, she has turned her considerable skills as a scholar to a subject that many people thought had been thoroughly researched. In this book, Kyra leads the viewer to important new information about Harriet Powers and the miraculous artistic work that she accomplished. Kyra gives us a lot of insight into her research process. I'm also glad that she uses her personal voice and sense of humor to speak to the reader as well.

Kyra's book is a `must have' and a `must read' for anyone interested in women's history, women's lives as artists and quilt history. Why? Because Kyra has demonstrated through her research how easily subtle, overt, and highly damaging myths about women and their work can take hold. This is especially true when we talk about women as artists--either untrained or highly trained. How many more myths are floating around out there about even well-known women artists?

Kyra has thrown down the gauntlet to scholars in and outside of academia. She has used the most rigorous academic standards to search for original sources that set the record straight about the life and work of Harriet Powers.

This book is truly an amazing accomplishment, and I can't wait until Kyra sets her sights on her next subject.

Please--buy it, read it and share it with your friends!

I have long been a huge fan of the two known Harriet Powers quilts and the researchers who have brought these textiles from anonymity to their proper place in the history of women's art, so I had to buy this book. As I read, I was bowled over, kept saying "Wow!" aloud and banging on the arm of my chair. First there is the incredible thoroughness of the research, the energy, determination, and patience that went into following every lead and running down every side-alley, however obscure, that allowed Kyra Hicks to discover important and breath-taking new information in the unlikliest places. Then there is her story-telling ability, making the thrill of the hunt and the joy of the find our own experience as well as hers. Then there are the charming, funny, and sometimes poignant side-stories of the people through whose hands these quilts passed over the years. When I finished, I immediately emailed every quilt lover I knew to read this book asap. The book's only drawback is not to have color photos of the two quilts discussed, although a painting of one is on the color cover. However, readers can go on line and see details of both masterpieces. (One exciting discovery of Ms. Hicks is documentation that Powers made at least two other masterworks. We can all live in hope that they might some day be found and identified.)