The Death of Cleopatra

Edmonia Lewis’s sculpture of Cleopatra is one of two depictions she created of legendary ancient Egyptians. Following Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt, colonial archaeologists intensively excavated ancient Egyptian sites, leading to the transatlantic rise of Orientalist “Egyptomania.” Popular debates over the historical “truth” of Cleopatra’s race reflected the rise of racist anthropological pseudo-science. In the United States, some abolitionists claimed Cleopatra as a potent symbol of African political power. Lewis depicted Cleopatra in the moment of suicide, after she is captured by the Romans. Art historian Kristen Buick argues Lewis would likely have connected Cleopatra’s choice of death over captivity with African American women’s continued struggle for freedom in the era immediately following the abolition of slavery.