In the middle of the 19th century, women were not generally a force in American sculpture. Art, and especially sculpture, were a male-centric occupation. Three women sculpted images of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860s and 1870s, and each has an interesting story. Two of these women sculptors, Vinnie Ream (Hoxie) and Sarah Fisher Ames, would produce images of Lincoln that would be displayed in the United States Capitol building. A third, Edmonia Lewis, broke many barriers of race and gender to become a well-known sculptor. Each of these women has a unique story and, other than Ream, they have not had their stories widely told.
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