Piecework and Appliqué Quilt: "Hands", 1979–83
Sarah Mary Taylor, American
Pieced and appliquéd cotton and synthetic solid and printed plain weave, twill, printed flannel, knit, dotted swiss and damask
83 1/4 x 78 inches (211.5 x 198.1 cm)
The Ella King Torrey Collection of American Quilts, 2006.
Sarah Mary Taylor, American
Pieced and appliquéd cotton and synthetic solid and printed plain weave, twill, printed flannel, knit, dotted swiss and damask
83 1/4 x 78 inches (211.5 x 198.1 cm)
The Ella King Torrey Collection of American Quilts, 2006.
African American Quilts from the Ella King Torrey Collection
Fall, 2008
African American Quilts from the Ella King Torrey Collection includes thirteen examples by leading Southern quilt makers. The collection was formed between 1981 and 1983 while Ms. Torrey was conducting fieldwork on African American quilt-making with Maude Southwell Wahlman.
Among its highlights are an appliquéd "word quilt" by the Mississippi artist Sarah Mary Taylor (born 1916) and one of her "hand" quilts, a version commissioned for the film The Color Purple. Two quilts in the collection are by Taylor’s mother, Pearlie Posey (1894–1984), who in 1980 followed her daughter’s lead and began creating rainbow-hued figurative appliqué quilts.
Curator
Dilys Blum • Curator of Costume and TextilesLocation
Spain Gallery, first floor, Perelman building
