Edmonia Lewis, African American and Native American, b. 1844, d. 1907

Take note of Lewis uses the gaze and head tilt to visually communicate identities for the sculptures. 

Between 1866 and 1872, Edmonia Lewis completed a series of marble sculptures on the popular theme of Hiawatha and Minnehaha, drawn from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha (1855). This cabinet-sized bust and its pendant (2015.287.1) represent the star-crossed lovers from once-warring nations (Anishinaabe and Dakota), and blend an idealized treatment of form with Native American dress and accessories. - Metropolitan Museum of Art, source link below.

Minnehaha

Marble

1868

11 5/8" x 7 1/4" x 4 7/8"

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, USA

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/687677?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=Edmonia+Lewis&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=1

Hiawatha

Marble

1868

13 3/4" x 7 3/4" x 5 1/2 "

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, USA

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/687670

The Song of Hiawatha

Link below to read poem. 

https://www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=283

Edmonia Lewis