Edmonia Lewis (1845-1907) c. 1870

Curator: The photograph we're looking at is a portrait of Edmonia Lewis by Henry Rocher, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The sepia tones lend it a serious, almost melancholic air, but her gaze is quite direct and self-assured. Curator: It's fascinating to consider how Lewis, a Black and Native American sculptor, navigated the 19th-century art world. This image, I think, was carefully constructed, challenging dominant racial and gender stereotypes through its visual language. Editor: Absolutely. This photograph operates as a form of self-representation, countering the limited and often derogatory imagery of Black women at that time. The very act of commissioning this portrait was a political statement. Curator: It certainly forces us to consider the agency she exercised within the constraints of her era. Editor: Seeing this image really gives me a sense of Lewis's drive to control her own narrative and legacy.