Edwin Longsden Long (12 July 1829 – 15 May 1891) was a British genre, history, biblical and portrait painter.

Life and works

Long was born in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, the son of James Long, a hairdresser, (from Kelston in

), and was educated at Dr. Viner's School in Bath. Adopting the profession of a painter, Long came to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and studied in the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

. He was subsequently a pupil in the school of

James Mathews Leigh James Mathews Leigh (1808 – 20 April 1860) was an English art educator, painter, writer, dramatist and critic. He is best known as the founder of a popular private art school in London known as "Leigh's Academy", which eventually became ...

in Newman Street London, and practised first as a portrait artist painting Charles Greville, Lord Ebury and others. Long made the acquaintance of John Phillip RA, and accompanied him to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, and Egyp

where they spent much time. Long was greatly influenced by the paintings of

Velasquez Velázquez, also Velazquez, Velásquez or Velasquez (, ), is a surname from Spain. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Velasco". References to "Velazquez" without a first name are often to the Spanish painter, Diego Velázquez. Notable peo ...

and other Spanish masters, and his earlier pictures, such as ''La Posada'' (1864) and ''Lazarilla and the Blind Beggar'' (1870), were painted under Spanish influence. His first important pictures were ''The Suppliants'' (1872) and '' The Babylonian Marriage Market'' (1875), both subsequently purchased by Thomas Holloway. In 1874, he visited Egypt and Syria, and subsequently his work took a new direction. He became thoroughly imbued with middle-eastern archaeology and painted oriental scenes including ''The Egyptian Feast'' (1877), ''The Gods and Their Makers'' (1878). The Palace Guard

Long was elected an associate of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in 1870 and an academician (RA) in 1881. His pictures always attracted attention and his ''Diana or Christ?'' (1881) greatly enhanced his reputation at the time. His pictures suited the taste and appealed to the religious sentiment of a large portion of the public, and their popularity was increased by a wide circulation of engravings. He consequently determined to exhibit his next pictures in a separate gallery of his own in

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

, London and there in 1883, and the following years, his ''Anno Domini'' and ''Zeuxis at Crotona'' met with great commercial success. Edwin Long 002

Long died from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

resulting from

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

, at his home, "Kelston" in Netherhall Gardens,

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, on 15 May 1891, in his sixty-second year. He was buried in West Hampstead Cemetery. The will signed by him on the day of his death was the subject of a lawsuit, to which his relatives were parties, but the matter in dispute was amicably settled.(Times, 13 and 14 Dec. 1892). Long married a daughter of Dr. William Aiton, by whom he left a family, of whom a son, Maurice Long, was killed in a railway accident at

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

in Spain on 23 September 1891. Besides the Edwin Long Gallery in Old Bond Street, a number of his pictures were collected together after his death, and formed the nucleus of a gallery of Christian Art which replaced the works of

Gustave Doré Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6January 1832 – 23January 1883) was a French printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engravings illustrati ...

in the well-known gallery in

New Bond Street New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. Long had considerable practice as a portrait painter but his success in that line was not conspicuous, although he obtained high patronage and very large prices. He painted for the Baroness Burdett Coutts (his chief patron) portraits of herself, her friend Mrs. Brown, and

Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

. Among other portraits of his latter years were a memorial portrait of the

Earl of Iddesleigh Earl of Iddesleigh ( ), in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1885 for the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician Stafford Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh, Sir Stafford Northcote ...

, of which he painted a replica for the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

, portraits of Cardinal Manning (perhaps his best effort in this line), Samuel Cousins, Sir Edmund Henderson and others. According to art historian Lionel Cust, "In his earlier works Long showed great power and thoroughly deserved his success and popularity", but added that his later works "suffered from a continual repetition of types which resulted in monotony".

Paintings

*''Begging for the Monastery'' (1867) *''The Suppliants'' (1864) * '' Uncle Tom and Little Eva'' (1866) *''A Spanish Flower Seller'' (1867) *''The Gamekeeper'' (1869) *"Usted Gusta" (1870) *''A Question of Propriety'' (1870) *''A Street Scene in Spain'' (1871) *''The Approval'' (1873) *''The Moorish Proselytes of Archbishop Ximines'' (1873) *''Primero Segundo y Basso Profondo'' (1873) *'' The Babylonian Marriage Market'' (1875) *''In the Tent'' (1876) *'' A Dorcas Meeting in the 6th Century'' (1873–1877) *''An Egyptian Feast'' (1877) *''The Gods and Their Makers'' (1878) *'' Queen Esther'' (1878) *''

Vashti Vashti (; ; ) was a queen of Achaemenid Empire, Persia and the first wife of Persian king Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther, a book included within the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh and the Old Testament which is read on the Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday ...

Refuses the King's Summons'' (1879) *''The Eastern Favourite'' (1880) *''To Her Listening Ear Responsive Chords of Music Came Familiar'' (1881) *''Diana or Christ?'' (1881) *''Anno Domini'' (1883) *''Glauke: Pensive'' (1883) *''The Chosen Five'' (1885) *''Eastern Lily'' (1885) *''Jepthah's Vow: the Martyr'' (1885) *''Love's Labour Lost'' (1885) *'' The Discovery of Moses'' (1886) *''Alethe Attendant of the Sacred Ibis in the Temple of Isis'' (1888) *''Sacred to Pasht'' (1888) *''Preparing For The Festival Of Anubis'' (1889) *''Thisbe'' (1884) *''Little Eva and Uncle Tom'' (1886)

Gallery

File:Thisbe).jpg, Thisbe File:Edwin Long - The Chosen Five.jpg, The Chosen Five, before 1891 File:Edwin Long (1829-1891) - The Honourable Harriet Margaret Maxwell (1805–1880), Viscountess Bangor - 836154 - National Trust.jpg, The Hon. Harriet Margaret Maxwell, Viscountess Bangor (1805-1880), 1850 File:De camino, Granada.jpg, On the Road, Granada, 1866 File:Edwin Long - The Daughters of Our Empire. England- The Primrose - Google Art Project.jpg, The Daughters of Our Empire. England: The Primrose, 1887 File:Edward Long The Moorish Proselytes 1500 1873.jpg, Edwin Long, The Moorish Proselytes of Archbishop Ximenes, Granada, 1873

References

;Attribution *

, London)
''Love's Labour Lost''
(1885 oil on canvas - Dahesh Museum of Art)
The Chosen Five, 1885 painting analysis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Edwin 1829 births 1891 deaths 19th-century English painters Artists' Rifles soldiers English male painters British genre painters English romantic painters English portrait painters English orientalists British Orientalist painters Royal Academicians Deaths from the 1889–1890 flu pandemic Deaths from influenza in the United Kingdom 19th-century English male artists

Life and works

Paintings

Gallery

See also

References

External links