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 The Institute of Fine Arts (IFA) of New York University is dedicated to graduate teaching and advanced research in the history of art, archaeology and the conservation and technology of works of art. It offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philos ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

and was for more than 60 years associated with the

American School of Classical Studies at Athens , native_name_lang = Greek , image = American School of Classical Studies at Athens.jpg , image_size = , image_alt = , caption = The ASCSA main building as seen from Mount Lykavittos , latin_name = , other_name = , former_name = , m ...

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

Biography

Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, 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), includin ...

and

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...

families of Virginia. She attended John Marshall High School in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. In 1941 she graduated from

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

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

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Further studies were postponed by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Harrison worked for the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

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) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

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 research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

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 or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

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 to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the a ...

(1954) * Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) 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, a ...

(1973) * Member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

(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 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 of Virginia Harrison family of Virginia