Edmonia Lewis

Edmonia Lewis

Mary Edmonia Lewis (born July 4, 1845 - died 1911) was the first African American and Native American woman to gain fame and recognition as a sculptor.

Biography

Born Mary Edmonia Lewis July 1845 in Albany, New York. Her father was African American while her mother was Native American. Both her parents died when she was a child. Her exact age was unknown at the time of their deaths. Lewis and her older brother resided with their mother’s family in Niagara Falls. Three years later, her brother suggested Lewis attend school. She enrolled at Oberlin Preparatory College in Ohio. Oberlin College was one of the first higher learning schools in the United States to admit women of different races. It was at Oberlin College where Lewis began to be interested in sculpture.

After her schooling, Lewis moved to Boston where her sculpting developed. She the began to study under a well-known and developed sculptor, Edmund Brackett. While working with Brackett, Lewis met Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, a commander during the Civil War and sculpted him. She then moved to Rome in 1865 to continue her studying sculpture.

During her time in Rome, Lewis mastered her practice specializing in portrait busts. She set up her own studio in Rome and became a very well known sculptor. What may have contributed to her success in Rome may have been her exotic appearance. People were intrigued with her East Indian resemblance. This was where she spent most of her adult career. This time in Rome is what also triggered her neoclassical techniques and subject matter. Her surrounding of the classical world greatly inspired Lewis and influenced her work.

Lewis came back to the United States where she continued to sculpt. Her work sold for very large sums of money. In 1873, the New Orleans Picayune read “Edmonia Lewis had snared two 50,000 dollar commissions.” This popularity made her studio a sight for tourism. Lewis sculpted many portrait busts of important figures during that time period. Her portrait busts included Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (an American poet), John Brown (an abolitionist), Charles Sumner (an American politician), Abraham Lincoln (an American President), and Wendell Phillips (an American writer). Her sculpture of Longfellow was placed at Harvard University in their Wilderner Library.

In addition to her portrait busts, Lewis was also well known for her complete figure sculptures. Her figure sculptures include Hagar in the Wilderness (1866), Hiawatha (1865), The Marriage of Hiawatha (1865), The Departure of Hiawatha (1867), Madonna and Child (1867), and The Death of Cleopatra (1867). Her Forever Free sculpture is one of her most notorious and influential work. This was a representation of a free African-American couple. Lewis had several exhibitions during her rise to fame. One was in Chicago, Illinois in 1870, another in Rome in 1871, and another was at the Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia in 1876. She and Richard Bannister, another African American artist, both received honors during the Philadelphia exhibit at the Centennial Celebration.

Her popularity began to decline in the 1880s. During this time, the neoclassical genre also began to decline in popularity which was what triggered her loss of fame. The events of the later years of her life are uncertain. Although the year of her death is debatable, many believe Lewis died in 1890. Lewis was not married nor had any children.

Incident at Oberlin College

During the winter season of 1862, just several months after the start of the Civil War, while Edmonia Lewis attended Oberlin College, there was an incident which involved her and her two classmates, Maria Miles and Christina Ennes. The three women planned to take advantage of the snow and go sleigh riding later that day. Lewis invited her friends to for a drink and shortly after, Miles and Ennes were fell ill. Doctors concluded that the two women had some sort of poison in their system. Days later, it was apparent that the two women would survive the incident and the authorities took no action. Shortly after, the townspeople took matters in their own hands. Lewis was dragged out into an open field and was badly beaten one night as she was walking home. Those responsible for her injuries were never found. Local authorities were pressured into arresting her. In the meantime, the college defended their student throughout the trail. John Mercer Langston, an Oberlin College alum, and only practicing African-American lawyer in Oberlin at that time represented Lewis during her trial. Even though most witnesses spoke against Lewis and Lewis herself did not actually testify, Langston did an excellent job cross-examining the witness and Lewis was found not guilty of poisoning Miles and Ennes. There simply was not enough evidence to convict Lewis of a crime.

Description of Most Popular Artworks

Forever Free, 1867

• This particular sculpture is of white marble. It displays a man standing, staring up, and raising his left arm into the air. Wrapped around his left wrist is a chain; however, this chain is not restraining him whatsoever. To his right is a woman kneeling with her hands held in a prayer position. The man’s right hand is gently placed on her right shoulder. Forever Free is a representation of the emancipation of African-American slaves after the Civil War. Lewis attempts to break stereotypes of African-American women with this sculpture. For example, Lewis allows the woman to be completely dressed while the man is partially dressed. This draws attention away from the notion of African-American women being sexual and erotic figures. This piece is currently at the Howard University Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

Hagar, 1875

• Another popular sculpture by Lewis is her figure of Hagar from the Old Testament. This piece is also made of white marble. It shows Hagar with her hands in prayer staring slightly up but not straight across. Hagar was the Egyptian wife of Abraham and gave birth to his first son Ishmael. Abraham’s second wife, Sarah, resented Hagar and “cast Hagar into the wilderness after the birth Sarah’s son Isaac.” Lewis uses the Egyptian Hagar as a representation of the African mother. Hagar symbolizes the abuse of the African woman.

Old Arrow-Maker and his Daughter, 1866

• This sculpture was inspired by Lewis's Native American background. This piece displays the arrow-maker and his daughter sitting on a round base. They are dressed in traditional Native American clothes and have stereotypical Native American facial features.

List of Artworks

• Hiawatha, 1868
• Bust of Abraham Lincoln, 1870
• Awake, 1872
• Hagar, 1875
• Forever Free, 1867
• Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, 1864
• Minnehaha, 1868
• Henry Wordsworth Longfellow, 1868
• The Old Arrow-Maker and His Daughter, 1866
• Death of Cleopatra, 1876
• Veiled Bride of Spring, 1878

Sources

Collins, Lisa G. "Female Body in Art." The Art of History. New Jersey: Rutgers UP, 2002.

Katz, William L., and Paula A. Franklin. "Edmonia Lewis: Sculptor." Proudly Red and Black. New York: Maxwell Macmillan, 1993.

Lewis, Samella. "The Diverse Quests for Professional Statues." African American Art and Artists. Berkeley: University of California P, 2003.

Perry, Regenia A. "Edmonia Lewis." Free Within Ourselves. Washington D.C.: National Museum of American Art, 1992.

Plowden, Martha W. "Edmonia Lewis-Sculptor." Famous Firsts of Black Women. Gretna: Pelican Company, 1994.

Tufts, Eleanor. "The Nineteenth Century." Our Hidden Heritage. New York: Paddington P, 1974.

Woods, Naurice F. "Mary Edmonia Lewis." Insuperable Obstacles. Cincinnati: Union Institute Graduate School, 1993.