Artwork Details
- Title
- Harriet
- Artist
- Date
- 2017
- Location
- Dimensions
- 58 x 53 in.
- Copyright
- © 2023, Latifah Shakir
- Credit Line
- Gift of Fleur S. Bresler
- Mediums Description
- commercial cotton, cotton batt, buttons, beads, sequins, found objects, satin, wool, felt, lace, ribbon, polyester fabric, braid, nylon, and yarn
- Classifications
- Subjects
- African American
- Portrait female — Tubman, Harriet — waist length
- Object Number
- 2023.40.23
Artwork Description
Latifah Shakir
born 1951, New Orleans, LA
resides Duluth, GA
Harriet
2017
commercial cotton, cotton batting, buttons, beads, sequins, found objects, satin, wool, felt, lace, ribbon, polyester fabric, braid, nylon, and yarn
Abolitionist Harriet Tubman stands at the right looking toward her enslaved family on the left. In Tubman’s dreams, she envisioned herself as a bird, watching over enslaved kin and plotting their escapes. The quilt’s patchwork pieces and white strips resemble a map, acknowledging Tubman’s skill as a navigator. The words “Go down Moses / way down to Egypt land / And tell old Pharaoh to let my people go,” are drawn from an African American spiritual, or religious folksong. They compare her many journeys to liberate enslaved people with the Biblical journey Moses took to release his people from bondage.
Unlike most of Shakir’s quilts, which are colorful and animated, this one is gray, a choice that underscores the seriousness of Tubman’s freedom-seeking and leadership. Dedicated to using found objects and fabric from thrift stores, Shakir constructed the quilt using men’s suits, shirts, and pants. Harriet’s dress is made from a blouse and her hair is made from a purse.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Michael Humphreys, 2023.40.23
We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts of Black Women Artists, 2025