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Lucy Prince: The Griot's Voice

Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery

Object Details

Artist
Peggie L. Hartwell, born Springfield, SC 1939
Sitter
Lucy Prince
Exhibition Label
Peggie L. Hartwell
born 1939, Springfield, SC
resides Summerville, SC
Lucy Prince: The Griot’s Voice
2012
cotton fabric and cotton batting
Captured and sold as part of the Atlantic slave trade, Lucy Terry Prince was enslaved for nearly two decades in the British colony of Rhode Island, and later in Massachusetts. Obijah Prince, a wealthy member of the free Black community, purchased her freedom in 1756 then married her. In 1746, while still enslaved, Prince composed the ballad poem “Bars Fight,” a direct account of a Mohawk and Abenaki ambush of English settlers in her village. This poem—one of the first pieces of African American literature—was preserved orally and eventually transcribed and published in 1855. Though “Bars Fight” is Prince’s only surviving work, she was remembered as a prolific poet and storyteller.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2023.40.2
We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts of Black Women Artists, 2025
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler
2012
Object number
2023.40.2
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Decorative Arts-Fiber
Quilt
Crafts
Medium
cotton fabric and cotton batt
Dimensions
50 x 50 in.
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Renwick Gallery
On View
Renwick Gallery, 1st Floor, Room 104
Renwick Gallery, 1st Floor
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Landscape
African American
Portrait female\full length
Record ID
saam_2023.40.2
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7b86252a3-9ba1-4a1f-8112-b2bff213968c

Related Content

  • American Quilts: Art and Craft

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International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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