MARY EDMONIA LEWIS

Mary Edmonia Lewis, "Wildfire"
Born: July 4, 1844, Rensselaer County, New York
Died: September 17, 1907, London, UK

She was the first Black American sculptor to achieve national and then international prominence. She began to gain prominence in the United States during the Civil War; at the end of the 19th century, she remained the only Black woman artist who had participated in and been recognized to any extent by the American artistic mainstream.
Her work is known for incorporating themes relating to Black people and indigenous peoples of the Americas into Neoclassical-style sculpture.