A marble portrait bust by 19th-century sculptor Edmonia Lewis, previously known only as a portrait of an unidentified woman, has been reattributed to depict social reformer Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney. The bust, held by the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, will be included in the upcoming national touring exhibition "Edmonia Lewis: Said in Stone," opening at the Peabody Essex Museum in February 2026.
This reattribution is significant because it deepens the understanding of Lewis's network and artistic motivations. Cheney was a prominent abolitionist, women's rights advocate, and art historian who ran the New England Freedmen's Aid Society. The identification confirms a direct personal and ideological connection between the sculptor and her subject, highlighting how Lewis's work was supported by and engaged with a community of activists committed to emancipation and social reform.