Edmonia Lewis - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edmonia Lewis
Edmonia Lewis
Born
Mary Edmonia Lewis

c. July 4, 1844
Greenbush (now Rensselaer), New York, U.S.
DiedSeptember 17, 1907(1907-09-17) (aged 63)
London, England
Known forSculpture
MovementLate Neoclassicism
Forever Free by Edmonia Lewis (1867)

Mary Edmonia Lewis (c. July 4, 1844 – September 17, 1907) was an American sculptor.[1] She is known for marble statues.[2]

Life[change | change source]

Lewis was born in 1844 in Greenbush (now Rensselaer), New York. Her mother was a Native American from the Ojibwe tribe. Her father was from the country of Haiti.[3] She was taught art at the The Ladies' Department of Oberlin College in Ohio.[4] She did not graduate, but left school in 1863 after being physically attacked by racists.[5]

Lewis began her career by creating clay statues of famous abolitionists and American Civil War generals. Her work sold well. She made enough money to travel to Rome, Italy to see statues created by important sculptors in history.[5]

Lewis stayed in Rome and set up a studio there. She preferred living in Europe to living in America because there was less racial prejudice there.

I was practically driven to Rome in order to obtain the opportunities for art culture, and to find a social atmosphere where I was not constantly reminded of my color. The land of liberty had not room for a colored sculptor

— Edmonia Lewis[3]

Lewis continued making sculptures of Native Americans and African Americans. In 1867 she made "Forever Free". In 1876 she created "the Death of Cleopatra".[6]

Lewis died in 1907 in London, England.[1]

In 2022 the United States Postal Service issued a stamp featuring a portrait of Lewis. It is part of the Black Heritage Stamp series.[7]

Gallery[change | change source]

  • The Death of Cleopatra
    The Death of Cleopatra
  • Old Arrow Maker
    Old Arrow Maker
  • Anna Quincy Waterston
    Anna Quincy Waterston
  • Hiawatha
    Hiawatha

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Edmonia Lewis". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  2. ↑ "Edmonia Lewis". The Art Story. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Edmonia Lewis, American Sculptor". Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "Edmonia Lewis". Biography. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ignotofsky, Rachel (2019). Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World. Ten Speed Press. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-0399580437.
  6. ↑ Boomer, Lee. "Life Story: Edmonia Lewis". Women & the American Story. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "U.S. Postal Service Salutes Legendary Sculptor Edmonia Lewis". About.usps.com. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

Other websites[change | change source]

Media related to Edmonia Lewis at Wikimedia Commons

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