FLORIDA — The U.S. Postal Service hosted a stamp dedication today at the Athens Sorting & Distribution Center (S&DC) to honor pioneering quiltmaker Harriet Powers (1837-1910) and to celebrate the release of four new commemorative stamps.

Harriet Powers’ journey began in the most challenging of circumstances, born into slavery, yet she blossomed into a remarkable figure in the realm of the American folk art and storytelling. She embraced traditional techniques and weaved together rich oral histories and religious themes, capturing the essence of human experience in a way that continues to resonate with us today.

“Harriet Powers quilts stitch together history, faith, and the human spirit,” said Michael Benevento, USPS postmaster at the Athens S&DC and dedicating official. “It’s a privilege to help share her remarkable legacy with every community we serve.”

Joining Benevento for the ceremony were Laura Alday, USPS Supervisor, Customer Service and master of ceremonies, Fred Smith Sr., president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Athens Branch and quilter Frances Arnold with Cotton Patch Quilters. Oscar Wilson, USPS Letter Carrier, sang the National Anthem followed by Jennifer Johnson, mail handler and retired service member, U.S. Army Reserve, who led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Born into slavery in 1837 near Athens, GA, Powers emerged after emancipation as an artistic voice in American textile art. While she is believed to have completed at least five quilts in her lifetime, she is best known for her two surviving “story quilts.” These works used pieced, appliquéd, and embroidered panels to depict scenes from local lore or the Bible.

“This is what is extraordinary about Harriet Powers’ quilts,” said Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS. “I never would have thought of these works of fabric art as canvases for telling stories until seeing the quilts. I chose details that would hold up well at stamp size while still communicating the stories Powers was trying to tell.”

The stamp pane features different designs, each showcasing a specific panel from Powers’ 1898 “Pictorial Quilt.” To create visual variety, the panels are arranged in a shifting order across the pane of 20 giving the impression of a continuous, unfolding narrative.

Powers’ work gained public recognition in 1886 when she exhibited her “Bible Quilt” at the Northeast Georgia Fair. Though she initially refused to sell the piece, she later sold it to an art teacher, Jennie Smith. That quilt was eventually donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 1968 — appropriately arriving at the museum by U.S. Mail.

The “Pictorial Quilt,” which inspired the new stamps, was originally commissioned by the wives of Atlanta University faculty members as a gift for the vice president of the university board, Charles Cuthbert Hall. Completed in 1898, the quilt remained in the Hall family for more than six decades before being recognized as a national treasure.

Noyes designed the stamps and pane using existing photographs of the “Pictorial Quilt.”

The Harriet Powers stamps are issued in panes of 20. As Forever stamps, they will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price. News about the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #HarrietPowersStamps.

Postal products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through The Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. Additional information on stamps, First Day of Issue Ceremonies and stamp inspired products can be found at StampsForever.com.

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