Dr. Meghan Callahan

Women artists tended not to become sculptors, as the more physical work of sculpting was seen as “man’s work.” However, since the 16th century and into the 21st, women carved marble and designed bronzes.
This talk will cover the art of sculptors Anne Seymour Damer (1748–1828), Mary Thornycroft (1809-1895), and Edmonia Lewis (1844-1907). Damer and Thornycroft were English and were involved with the Royal Academy in London. Lewis was Black and Native American and lived and worked in the United States and Italy before moving to London where she died. All were inspired by Italian art and worked within the NeoClassical tradition. We will explore the challenges and successes of being a woman sculptor in 18th and 19th-century Britain.