95-year-old retired seamstress reunited with 40-year-old sculpture of herself in Little Italy

When Maria Pulsone, her husband, and their 7-year-old son left the Molise region of Italy in 1955 and set sail for a better life in the United States on the Andrea Doria, little did she know that almost 70 years later, a statue of her would be immortalized at a ceremony at the Italian American Museum on Mulberry Street in New York City’s Little Italy on Wednesday.

Forty years ago, Pulsone’s former employer, Andy Kozinn of Kozinn & Sons Tailors, wanted to pay tribute to the hard-working garment industry workers and turned the company’s lobby at 897 Broadway into a museum featuring a 51-inch sculpture of Pulsone.

“We needed to show the hard-working people that actually made the clothing,” Kozinn explained.

Maria Pulsone (seated) and her family attend the unveiling of her statue at the Italian American Museum. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

Because Maria Pulsone was the “nicest lady” in the factory, she became the model for the statue, which shows Pulsone at work sewing. Kozinn shared that the process was an “ordeal” because Pulsone had to be covered in plaster from head to toe.

“We wanted to show [Maria Pulsone] at work,” Kozinn said. “Maria was cooperative and beautiful. She’s gonna be immortal now.”

Carey Graeber, Kozinn’s wife, recalled the sculptors had wrapped Pulsone in plaster and that she had straws put in her nose so she could breathe.

“[Pulsone] was a real trooper to sit there like that for a couple of hours,” Graeber said. “She was a human being and is now forever immortalized.”

Maria Pulsone and Dr. Joseph Scelsa unveil the sculpture of Maria Pulsone. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

However, after the company moved, her statue was believed to be lost or destroyed.

Pulsone’s granddaughter, Jennifer Pulsone Heppner, told amNewYork Metro that growing up, she knew that a statue of her nonna was on display in the lobby of her workplace and that she was always curious about what had happened to it.

Late last year, Pulsone Heppner and her husband Brian went on a detective quest to find her grandmother’s effigy – a task Pulsone Heppner thought was impossible. However, it didn’t take long to locate the lost likeness of her grandmother. Brian Heppner conducted a quick Google search, entering the keywords “woman sewing statue.” After a mere few clicks, they found the statue at an antique warehouse in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and it was for sale.

Once they had acquired the statue, the next question was where to display it. Since Pulsone Heppner’s New York City apartment and her grandmother’s backyard in Queens weren’t a viable option, Pulsone Heppner searched for an appropriate location and discovered that the Italian American Museum was under renovation but set to reopen in 2024.

Maria Pulsone talks to Carey Graeber and her former employer Andy Kozinn. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

“I said, this has got to be it. [The Italian American Museum] has got to be the place for it,” Pulsone Heppner said. “I connected with them, and they were happy to take it.”

Pulsone Heppner said it was “very meaningful” that her grandmother’s statue had found a home at the Italian American Museum.

“[My grandmother] puts a face to the story of that time and place where Italian Americans were toiling in the garment industry trying to create a better life for themselves and their family,” Pulsone Heppner said. “For her to be here permanently, it’s just the perfect place [the sculpture].”

Dr. Joseph Scelsa, founder and president of the Italian American Museum, which is set to reopen to the public sometime this summer, described the event as a “momentous occasion.”

Maria Palsone and her great-grandchildren attend the unveiling of her statue at the Italian American Museum. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

“This is what the museum is dedicated to,” Scelsa said. “It’s dedicated to honoring and respecting our past in every possible way. All the contributions, and the struggles and achievements of Italian Americans in the United States, but particularly in New York.”

Denise Smith, Pulsone’s granddaughter, told amNewYork Metro that her grandmother came from Italy with nothing and worked hard for many years before she retired in her early 60’s to take care of her husband.

Smith shared that it was “great” to have her grandmother’s statue displayed at the museum. She hoped that museum visitors would see the simplicity of the statue and recognize the struggles and contributions of Italian American immigrants.

“She’s 95, she is not going to live forever. So it’s great that we’re gonna be able to be here and to see her even when she’s not,” Smith said. “And then even her great-grandchildren will be able to say, ‘That’s my great grandmother,’ even when I’m gone.”

Retired seamstress Maria Pulsone next to her long lost statue which will be on display at the Italian American Museum in Little Italy. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

Maria Pulsone, sporting a dress suit she sewed herself, took the fuzz surrounding her in stride.

The youthful 95-year-old great-grandmother of eight first settled in Rochester, New York, after she arrived in the United States. Here, Pulsone, who had worked as an embroiderer in her native country, learned how to sew clothes. A few years later, the family moved to New York City for better job opportunities. Pulsone first worked at Vanderbilt, where she sewed Tuxedos, and then for Saint Laurie, later known as Kozinn & Sons Merchant Tailors, until she retired.

When asked what she thought of the statue, Pulsone simply shrugged and responded, “I feel I’m still here.”