Edmonia Lewis

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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.

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[edit] Biography

Born Mary Edmonia Lewis July 1845 in Albany, New York. Her inspiration for most her artwork came from her ethnic background. Lewis's 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, instead of working within the home, Lewis's brother suggested she enroll in school. She was then accepted and attended 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. Her decision to attend Oberlin was one that would significantly change her life. It was at Oberlin College where Lewis began to be interested in sculpting and began her art career. [1]


After her schooling, Lewis moved to Boston where her sculpting continued to developed. Lewis caught the eye of another and she then began to study under a well-known and developed sculptor, Edmund Brackett. While working with Brackett in Boston, 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 study and practice of sculpting. [1]


During her time in Rome, Lewis mastered her practice and was now specializing in portrait busts, one's shoulders and up. She set up her own studio in Rome and became a very well known sculptor during this time. Some have speculated that what contributed to Lewis's success in Rome may have been her exotic appearance. People were intrigued and fascinated with her East Indian resemblance and wanted to know more about her. This was quite the opposite from the attention she initially received from the United States. Her diverse background worked for her rather than against her. [1] Rome was where she spent most of her adult career sculpting but eventually came back to the United States. Her time in Rome is what also attributed to her neoclassical techniques and subject matter. Her surroundings of the classical world greatly inspired Lewis and influenced her work. Lewis recreated the classical art around in her own work. Many of her depictions of people in her sculptures are draped in clothing rather than simply wearing regular clothing. [2]


Shortly after, Lewis came back to the United States where she continued to sculpt. Her work sold for very large sums of money. In 1873 an article in the New Orleans Picayune read “Edmonia Lewis had snared two 50,000 dollar commissions.” Her new found popularity made her studio a sight for tourism. [3] 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. [1]


In addition to her portrait busts, Lewis was also well known for her complete figure sculptures, including (but not limited to) 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 in broken chains after the Civil War. This was one of the many pieces Lewis created that had a political statement attached to it. [1]

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. [1]


The neoclassical genre became less and less popular in the late 1880s, as did Lewis's popularity began to decline in the 1880s which was the decline of the neoclassical genre popularity. This attributed to 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. [1] Lewis never married and had no children as far as the public knows. [4]

[edit] 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 her home for a drink. Shortly after, Miles and Ennes fell severely ill. Doctors concluded that the two women had some sort of poison in their system and were not sure the two women would survive the sickness. Days later, it was apparent that the two women would recover from the incident and because of their recovery, the authorities took no action.


However, 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 alone. [5] Those responsible for her injuries were never found. [6] Due to the town's uprising, 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 witnesses and Lewis was found not guilty of poisoning Miles and Ennes. There simply was not enough evidence to convict Lewis of a crime. Whether or not Lewis actually poisoned the two women was never confirmed.[5]

[edit] Description of Most Popular Artworks

Forever Free, 1867

  • This particular sculpture is made up 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 sculpture is also a representation of the end of the Civil War. While African-Americans are technically free, they continue to be restrained due to the fact that the couple still has chains wrapped around their bodies. This piece is currently at the Howard University Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. [7]

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 African women. Lewis had a tendency to sculpt historically strong women. We see this not just in Hagar but also in Lewis's Cleopatra piece. In addition to these historically famous women, Lewis depicted regular women in great situations, emphasizing their strength. [4]

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. Lewis pushed the limits with the accuracy of her sculptures. Lewis never cleaned up or generalized the appearance of those represented in her sculptures. Instead, she found truth in the stereotypes and used that in her work. She wanted to be as realistic as possible.

[4]

[edit] 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

[edit] Exhibits

  • Art of the American Negro Exhibition, Chicago, 1940
  • Howard University, Washington D.C., 1967
  • Vassar College, New York, 1972
  • Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York , 2008

[edit] External Links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Edmonia Lewis-Sculptor." Famous Firsts of Black Women. Gretna: Pelican Company, 1994.
  2. ^ "The Diverse Quests for Professional Statues." African American Art and Artists. Berkeley: University of California P, 2003.
  3. ^ "The Nineteenth Century." Our Hidden Heritage. New York: Paddington P, 1974.
  4. ^ a b c "Edmonia Lewis." Free Within Ourselves. Washington D.C.: National Museum of American Art, 1992.
  5. ^ a b "Edmonia Lewis: Sculptor." Proudly Red and Black. New York: Maxwell Macmillan, 1993.
  6. ^ "Mary Edmonia Lewis." Insuperable Obstacles. Cincinnati: Union Institute Graduate School, 1993
  7. ^ "Female Body in Art." The Art of History. New Jersey: Rutgers UP, 2002.

[edit] 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.