Pearlie Posey
American artist (1894–1984)
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Pearlie Posey (1894-1984) was an American quilt artist and mother of Sarah Mary Taylor. She is known for her appliquéd quilts.
Pearlie Posey | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | 1894 |
| Died | 1984 (aged 89–90) |
| Known for | textile artist |
Biography
Posey was born in 1894.[1][2] She was a family-oriented woman who spent her days on a plantation working. Her mother, before her death, and grandmother helped her learn to quilt. [3] She taught her quilting technique to her daughter Sarah Mary Taylor and eventually created templates for Taylor's quilts.[4] Posey’s quilts often featured human and animal figures, reflecting African American storytelling traditions and the passing down of quilting through generations. [4] Quilting during Posey’s time was commonly viewed as a domestic craft rather than a form of fine art. [3]
Her work is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art[5] and the American Folk Art Museum.[6] Her work was included in the 2008-2009 traveling exhibition entitled Ancestry & Innovation: African American Art from the American Folk Art Museum presented by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.[2] She was included in the 2009 exhibition Quilt Stories: The Ella King Torrey Collection of African American Quilts and Other Recent Quilt Acquisitions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.[7]
Posey died in 1984.[5]