Edith Durham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edith Durham
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Born |
Mary Edith Durham
8 December 1863 |
| Died | 15 November 1944 (aged 80) |
| Academic work | |
| Main interests | Albanian history, Culture |
| Notable works | High Albania |
| Influenced | Robert Elsie |
Mary Edith Durham (born December 8, 1863 – died November 15, 1944) was a British artist and writer. She became famous for her books about life in Albania in the early 1900s. She was also an anthropologist, which means she studied human societies and cultures. Edith Durham loved the people and culture of Albania very much.
Contents
Early Life and Art Training
Edith Durham was born in London, England, in 1863. She was the oldest of nine children. Her father, Arthur Edward Durham, was a well-known surgeon.
Edith studied art at Bedford College and the Royal Academy of Arts. She was a very talented artist. She showed her artwork in many places. She also drew detailed pictures for a book about amphibians and reptiles.
Adventures in the Balkans
After her father passed away, Edith spent several years caring for her sick mother. This was a very tiring time for her. When she was 37, her doctor suggested she take a trip to rest and feel better.
She decided to travel by sea along the coast of Dalmatia. She went from Trieste to Kotor and then overland to Cetinje, which was the capital of Montenegro. This trip made her fall in love with the southern Balkan region. She would spend the rest of her life interested in this area.
Exploring Albania
For the next twenty years, Edith Durham traveled a lot in the Balkans. She was especially interested in Albania. At that time, Albania was one of the most isolated and undeveloped parts of Europe.
Edith helped many people by working with different aid groups. She also continued to paint and write. She collected many stories and examples of folk art from the region.
Writing About the Balkans
Edith often wrote for a journal called Man. She also became a member of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. But it was her books that made her truly famous. She wrote seven books about the Balkans.
Her most famous book is High Albania, published in 1909. This book is still considered an excellent guide to the customs and society of the highlands in northern Albania. It helps people understand the unique way of life there.
Edith Durham's Collections
After Edith Durham passed away, much of her work was given to museums and academic groups. Her personal papers are kept at the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland in London.
Her diaries are at the Bankfield Museum in Halifax. This museum also has her collection of Balkan costumes and jewelry, which she gave them in 1935. She also gave many Balkan items to the British Museum in 1914. Other items went to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford and the Horniman Museum in London. Some of her textile collection was shown in an exhibition in 2020.
See also
In Spanish: Edith Durham para niños
