Sculpting a Monumental Truth : a Search for Inclusive Equality

Abstract

This project began during a trip to Washington, D.C. where the student researcher discovered the "Portrait Monument," a (1927) sculpture by Adelaide Johnson, depicting Stanton, Mott and Anthony--pioneers from the American women's movement. An unfinished piece of marble protruding from the sculpture alluded to a fourth figure not yet included. A docent at the Sewell-Belmont Women's History Museum shared lobbying efforts underway to include freed slave and activist Sojourner Truth to the monument. This project investigated the lingering divisions within American sisterhood. The researcher reviewed print sources including historical documents, Congressional resolutions, and feminist texts to better understand oppression and inclusion/exclusion within the women's movement.