EDMONIA LEWIS
NOW
AVAILABLE: The Indomitable Spirit of Edmonia
Lewis. A Narrative Biography, by
Harry Henderson ( co-author of A History of African American Art from
1792 to the Present) and Albert Henderson, winner of the eLit GOLD award:
"Illuminating Digital Publishing Excellence." Independent
Opinion: "The Hendersons’ monument of research and
craftsmanship seeks to give Lewis the consideration that she has been
denied—not dissimilar to the artist’s own commitment to proving her
competitors and critics wrong, demonstrating that a minority could take on the
hegemonic tradition of fine arts. The book provides crystalline accounts of
Lewis’s feuds and mentorships, as well as rich illustrations of the works
being discussed throughout. Overall, the authors deliver a well-constructed mix
of primary resources, critical analysis and literary flourishes." - Kirkus
Reviews. "Thank you so much for your excellent research ... Your
work on Edmonia Lewis will be used for many years to come by scholars, art
historians, art collectors and anyone interested in knowing more about this
outstanding woman" - Dr. Sheryl Colyer. "Lewis’s
story is all at once interesting and sad. Her life, while forgotten for a while
is now making a come back among art historians and this immense work helps to
secure her artistic legacy." Lifelong Dewey "A key
acquisition for any arts or African-American history holding. The authors'
attention to precise scholarship provides all the details of a solid linear
history and biography but the end result is anything but dry: it reads with the
passion and drama of good literature." Midwest Book Review
"A definitive biography" Washington Times "
"
- Links Goodreads.
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#Tweet Edmonia Lewis's biographer @andthatrhymeswi
The Death of Mary Edmonia Lewis
West of Kensington on London’s outskirts, a colony of Catholics likely attracted
her attention. At Brook Green, Hammersmith, an agricultural area, the community
had set up a church, several schools, a convent of teaching sisters, and an almshouse.
A mansion called Bute House stood nearby, suggesting some involvement of
Edmonia’s patron. Of most interest, given Edmonia’s history, would have been St.
Mary’s orphanage for girls next to the large gothic church.
Edmonia took a room ten minutes away in a three-story Victorian brick house at
154 Blythe Road, one of a row that lined the north side of the street. She boarded
there, a mile and a half from her church, until, diagnosed with chronic Bright’s
disease (of the kidneys), she checked into the infirmary, fell into a coma and died.
She was actually sixty-three years old.
Her death notice appeared in the Catholic weekly, The Tablet [see below]. Printed in a tiny
font and crowded into a page full of bold advertisements, it was as brief as it was humble:
LEWIS – On the 17th inst. at Hammersmith, Mary Edmonia Lewis, formerly of 7, Via Gregoriana, Rome. R.I.P.
The reference to Rome has some meaning for Catholics, but it misleads as to her origin. Why
was there no mention of her native America? Her will and her death certificate noted she was a
sculptor, but the notice did not. The editors failed to recognize her celebrity and the news
stopped there.
Her will specified a Catholic funeral and burial at Kensal Green, London. It named a Catholic
priest as her executor and main beneficiary. At the time of her death her estate was worth
about sixty thousand of today's dollars.
Was the age "42" an error or a joke? To mislead a bureaucrat about a one’s age was one of the
delights she shared with Hosmer and other members of the sisterhood. When someone
accepted her age less ten or twenty, she had something to smile about with friends.
Meanwhile, it is time for us to smile. We found her last days to be peaceful and prosperous.
Let us celebrate her lasting triumphs. As poet Vivian Shipley hoped,
“If her grave were found and marked today
the tombstone would have no hyphen, one title: SCULPTOR.”
A further eulogy came from sculptor Denise Ward Brown.
"If I could talk to her, I would just say 'thank you' and let her
know that every African American artist knows her name.
She did not live, she did not work in vain."
(cf. Blog: Searching for the Last Days)
Below: The death notice enlarged. The original page is roughly letter-size and difficult to read.
First posted Jan. 10, 2011 .
More detail appears in The Indomitable Sprit of Edmonia Lewis, A Narrative Biography, by Harry Henderson and Albert Henderson.
Finally, a marker appears on Lewis's grave, crowd-sourced in 2017 by Bobbie Reno et al.
© 2011, 2017 A.K.H