It’s a shame most of us have never heard of Edmonia Lewis. She used her talent to replicate life through clay. In the 1840s she was born in a wigwam to a Chippewah woman and an African American man, she became an orphan at age four. Through the financial support of her older brother, Edmonia attended boarding school and was accepted to Oberlin College to study music in 1859. While there she endured some racial tension (and was later forced to leave Oberlin), but came out of that experience with a love for sculpture. She relocated to Boston to hone her talent.

From carving a little foot to a life-like bust of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw (the leader of the all black 54th Massachusetts Regiment during Civil War), Edmonia proved her natural sculpting ability. In 1865, her highly acclaimed bust of Shaw enabled her to commission work in Europe, later venturing to Italy to hobnob with one of America’s most famous sculptors, Hiram Powers.

After working in Rome for two years, she completed the famous marble sculptor, “Forever Free” (1867-68). She had difficulty surviving and covering her costs at that time, and her greatest fear was that people would say she was not the creator of her works. Instead of shrinking in her fear, she gained strength from it and persevered, taking on all the heavy work as a female sculptor. Her works were exhibited all over America, including Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Before passing away in 1909, Edmonia crafted almost a dozen breath-taking pieces. If you’re wondering how much Edmonia’s work is worth—in 2007 a private collector purchased ‘Veiled Bride of Spring’ for $138,000. Her sculptors can be viewed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and various galleries in Scotland, England and Germany.

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