The U.S. Postal Service is honoring Athens quiltmaker Harriet Powers with four new stamps commemorating her art.
USPS celebrated the release of stamps based on Powers’ work on February 28th, the last day of Black History Month.
Powers was born into slavery on a plantation near Athens in 1837. She became known for her work in textile art after emancipation. Her quilts are considered masterpieces of American folk art and showcase themes from oral storytelling and religion.
The stamps feature panels from the “Pictorial Quilt,” commissioned as a gift and kept for over 60 years before gaining national recognition.
The stamps, designed by USPS art director Derry Noyes, are being issued as Forever Stamps.
