New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-05-04
EsililOnia Lewis.

PitSitSS- CuItiN Abt NoEiu moves.
One of the first studios which we visited in
Rome was that Of Edmonia Lewis. the coIored
sculptor We were interested in her even he
fore we saw her. OF any of her works ; not only
because of her sex. but Of her race. and our a..
quaintance with her and her works has only
heightened the interest which we felt IN her.
The world has advanced in the route of pro-
gress but it has not yet reached that point to
which we hope few more centuries will bring
it--when a woman can enter upon any vocation,
whether literary, artistic mercantile, or me
chanical, with the same freedom rs n man, and
find no greater obstacles in the way of her sue
cess than her brother has to encounter
That equal start and fair chance in the race
of life has not yet been given TO woman. In
her struggle TO reach the goal of independence,
she finds herself heavily lighted by her sex,
and if in addition to that burden, she has to
bear also, like Edmonia Lewis, the prejudices
felt against color and race, she needs vast
amount of enthusiasm and courage to venture
into the field at all.
That enthusiasm and that courage Edmonia
Lewis had, and the result has justified her
dauntless faith in the power of a strong will
and an untiring patience to conquer all dihcul-
ties.
And if ever a woman had a rough path to
tread N her road to success, that woman was
Edmonia Lewis.
She is of mingled Indian and African de
scent Her mother was one of the Chippewa
tribe, and her father a fullblooded African.
Both her parents died young, leaving the
orphan girl and her only brother to be brought
up by the Indians. Here, as may well be
imagined her opportunities for education were
meagre enough. On her first visit to Boston
she saw a statue of Benjamin Franklin. 1t
fllp1 hnr with and Hs1inbt Shn
did not know by what name to call - the stone
image buiteshe felt within her the stir of new
powers.
81, too, can make stone man, she said To
herself; and at once she went to visit Lloyd
Garrison, and told him what she knew she
could do, and asked him how she shoald set
about doing it.
Struck by her enthusiasm, Gsrison gave her
a note of introduction to Bracket the Boston
sculptor, and after little talk with her Mr..
Bracket gave her piece of clay and mould
OF a human foot, as a study. Go home and
make that, said he, " if there is anything in
you it will come out"
Alone in her own room, the young girl
toiled over her clay, and when she had done
her best, carried the result to her master. lie
looked at her model broke il up and said " Try
again"
She did try again, modelled feet and hands,
and at last undertook Il medallion of the head
of John Brown, which was pronounced excel
lent
The next essay was n bust of the Young
hero, Colonel Shaw, the first man who took the
command of cOlored regiment, and whose
untimely and glorious death, and the epitaph
spoken by the South, Bury him with his
niggers,' have made him an immortal name it,
the history of our civil war.
The family of this young hero heard OF the
bust which the colored girl was making as "a
labor of love- they came to see il and were de
lighted with the portrait which she had taken
from few poor photographs.
OF this bust she sold one hundred copies. and
with that money she set out for Europe full of
hope and courage.
a thought | knew everything when | came
to Rome, she said naivcly, " but ] soon found
that | had everything to learn"
At once she devoted herself To hard study
and hard work, and here she made her first
statuc-a figure of lIagar in her despair in the
Wilderness. 1t is a work full of feeling for as
she says: " | have a strong sympathy for all
women who have struggled and suffered. For
this reason the Virgin Mary is very dear to
me"
The first copy of Hagar was purchased by a
gentleman from Chicago. A fine group Of the
Madonna with the infant Christ in her arms,
hiih I"b dubTiHS angus iI H6T ittt, dtttNIS lilt
sincerity of her admiration for the Jewish
maiden.
This last group has been purchased by the
young Marquis of Butte, Diracli's Lothian, for
an altar piece.
Among Miss Lewis other works are two
small groups illustrating Longfellow's poem
of Hawatha Her first, " Iliawatha's woOing,"
represents Minnehaha seated making a pair of
moccasins, and Hiawatha by her side with q
world of love and longing in his eyes.
In the marriage they stand side by side wi til
clasped hands. In both the Indian type of fca-
lures is carefully preserved, and every detail
of dress &c, is true to nature the sentiment
is equal to the execution. They are charming
pier illustrations of LOnglellow's most original
poem were ever made than these by the Indian
sculptor.
A fine bust also, of this same poet is about
to he put in marble, which has been ordered
by Harvard College, and i'm this instance, at
least, Harvard has done itself honor. If it will
not yet open its doors to women who ask edu-
cation at its hands, it will admit the work of "a
woman who has educated herself in her chosen
department.
Miss Lewis has a fine medallion portrait OF
Wendell Phillips, n charming group of sleep
ing babies, and some other minor works, in her
studio.
She is Just about finishing a commission
which DIR. Harriet X. Hunt, of Boston, has
given her--a monument for her last resting
place at Mount Auburn.
We have not yet seen this, but are told that
it was DIR. Hunts own design-a life size statue
OF Hygeia, with various has reliefs on the ped
estal.
Miss Lewis is che of the few sculptors whom
no one charges with having assistance in her
work. Every one admits that, whether good
or bad, her marbles are ali her own.
SO determined is she to avoid all occasion
for detractiOn, that she even - puts up" her
clay--a work purely mechanical, and one of
great drudgery, which scarcely any male sculp-
tor does for himself. 1t is II very bard and
very fatiguing process, for it consists in the
piling up masses of wet clay into n vague out
line of a human figure, out of which the Sculp.
tor brings the model into form aud beauty.
III Miss Lewis were not very strong she could
not do this, and 1t seems To us an unnecessary
expenditure OF her physical powers.
Edmonia Lewis is below the medium height
her complexion and features betray her African
origin; her hair is more of the Indian type,
black, straight, and abundant. She wears IA
red cap in her studio, which is very picturesque
and effective; her face is a bright, intelligent,
and expressive one. Her manners are child
like simple, and most winning and pleasing.
She has the proud spirit of her Indian ancestor,
and if the has more Of the African ia her per
sonal appearance, she has more Of the Indian
in her character.
She is one of the most interesting Of our
American women artists here and we are glad
to know that she is fast winning fame ard
fortune.
There is something in human nature, poor as