Edmonia Lewis was no stranger to controversy. In 1862, while studying at Oberlin College, she was accused of poisoning two white college students and was subsequently attacked. She was eventually cleared of the crime, but was later accused of theft and kicked out of school, per The New York Times.
These tragedies didn't stop Edmonia Lewis from gaining success as an artist in her time, though much adversity stood in her way — even the study of anatomy was still reserved for male sculptors in her day (via Smithsonian). Her popular clay medallions of prominent abolitionists eventually earned her enough to travel to Rome where she created one of her most important works, "The Death of Cleopatra." This piece was groundbreaking for it didn't mimic tenderhearted portrayals of death, typical of the era, but was raw and realistic (via The Archive). 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. In 1866, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "A black sculptress is rarer than a black swan" (via The New York Times). This bothered her greatly.
"She rejected wholesale the idea of herself as a victim, glossing over unpleasantness so that her experiences were more consistent with those of other internationally renowned artists," art history professor and Lewis biographer Kirsten Pai Buick told The New York Times.
