Evelyn Byrd Harrison (June 5, 1920 – November 3, 2012) was an American classical scholar and archaeologist. She was Edith Kitzmiller Professor of the History of Fine Arts at the

Institute of Fine Arts An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

and was for more than 60 years associated with the

American School of Classical Studies at Athens The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA; ) is one of 19 foreign archaeological institutes in Athens, Greece. It is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). CAORC is a private not-for-profit federat ...

. Harrison specialized in 5th century B.C. Athenian Sculpture.

Biography

Born in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

, Harrison was a member of both the

Byrd Byrd commonly refers to: * William Byrd (c. 1540 – 1623), an English composer of the Renaissance * Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957), an American naval officer and explorer Byrd or Byrds may also refer to: Other people *Byrd (surname), including ...

and Harrison families of Virginia. She attended John Marshall High School in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. In 1941 she graduated from

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

with an A.B. and received her M.A. in 1943 from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. Further studies were postponed by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Harrison worked for the War Department deciphering Japanese codes. In 1949, she began her affiliation with the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, a relationship that lasted until her death. She joined the faculty of the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

in 1951 and received her Ph.D from Columbia in 1952. Harrison joined the faculty of Columbia in 1955 and remained there until moving to

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1970. At Princeton she became the first female full professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology. She became Edith Kitzmiller Professor of the History of Fine Arts at New York University in 1974 where she remained until retirement in 2006. Harrison died in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on November 3, 2012.

Awards and honors

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated d ...

(1954) * Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

(1973) * Member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

(1979) * Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement (1992)

Selected bibliography

* ''Ancient portraits from the Athenian Agora'', 1960 * ''Archaic and archaistic sculpture'', 1965 * ''The Athenian Agora : results of excavations conducted by the American school of classical studies at Athens'', 1965 * ''Portrait sculpture'', 1961 * ''The Constantinian portrait'', 1967

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Evelyn Byrd 1920 births 2012 deaths American classical scholars American women classical scholars American School of Classical Studies at Athens Columbia University alumni Barnard College alumni Classical scholars of Columbia University Classical scholars of New York University Classical scholars of Princeton University Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of the American Philosophical Society People from Charlottesville, Virginia Columbia University faculty University of Cincinnati faculty American women archaeologists New York University faculty Byrd family (Virginia) Harrison family (Virginia)