She was a 19th-century American artist of Haitian and Chippewa descent.
Lewis' birth name was Wildfire and, like a wildfire, she burned brightly.
Her work pushed boundaries and she was known as a bit eccentric who sometimes courted controversy.
Lewis paved a path for female artists and did so with beautiful talent, strength, and determination.
However, the stories she told of her life often didn’t add up (viaRepaint History).
This, along with inconsistent chronicles and poor documentation, may have contributed to her near erasure from history.
Still, she persevered
Edmonia Lewis was no stranger to controversy.
Some raved and others balked at the statue, but Lewis' talent was hard to dismiss.
Despite her questionable reputation or perhaps, because of it, Lewis was popular with journalists.
But their focus was, more often than not, on her race and gender.
This bothered her greatly.
Lewis died in obscurity and the events of the end of her life are unconfirmed (viaRepaint History).
Two of her marble sculptures,MinnehahaandHiawatha, are on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The statue is one of celebration, showing two slaves liberated by the Emancipation Proclamation.
As for “The Death of Cleopatra,” it now peacefully resides at theSmithsonian American Art Museum.
