“Until I was twelve years old, I led this wandering life, fishing, swimming, and …” — Edmonia Lewis

No, I have not a drop of what they call white blood in my veins. My father was a full blooded Negro, and my mother was a full blooded Chippewa.

My features I take from my father, but my spirit, my industry and perseverance I get from my Indian mother.

I thought I knew everything when I came to Rome, but I soon found I had everything to learn.

There is nothing so beautiful as the free forest. To catch a fish when you are hungry, cut the boughs of a tree, make a fire to roast it, and eat it in the open air, is the greatest of all luxuries. I would not stay a week pent up in cities if it were not for my passion for art.