Emma Stebbins (1815-1882)

Emma Stebbins was the first woman sculptor to receive a commission for a major public sculpture in New York City. Born into a wealthy New York family, Stebbins moved to Europe in 1857, working with compatriots Harriet Hosmer and Edmonia Lewis. Stebbins’ bronze statue of Horace Mann was installed in Boston in 1865. One of her earliest commissions was a bust of actress Charlotte Cushman done in 1859-60. Stebbins fell in love with the actress, whom she married in a ceremony exchanging rings as well as vows. Stebbins gave up her sculpting career to care for Cushman until the actress’s death from breast cancer.