EDWIN LONGSTEN LONG
Edwin Longsden Long RA (12 July 1829 – 15 May 1891) was a British genre, history, biblical and portrait
painter.
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Long was born in Bath, Somerset, the son of James Long, a hairdresser, (from Kelston in Somerset), and was educated at Dr. Viner's School in Bath. Adopting the profession of a painter, Long came to London and studied in the British Museum. He was subsequently a pupil in the school of James Mathews Leigh 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, where they spent much time. Long was greatly influenced by the paintings of Velasquez 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).
