Evelyn Byrd Harrison, 1920–2012

AJA OPEN ACCESS: NECROLOGY www.ajaonline.org Evelyn Byrd Harrison, 1920–2012 James R. McCredie Evelyn Byrd Harrison was born 5 June 1920 in and Archaistic Sculpture to the series. She wrote in its Charlottesville, Virginia, and graduated from John preface, “[t]he Agora sculpture helps us to understand Marshall High School in Richmond. She was de- the everyday background from which the great Athe- scended from two First Families of Virginia, lineages nian sculpture sprang and the working of the tradition recognized as belonging among which kept these inventions alive the first wave of English settlers for the enjoyment of later ages.”2 to colonize Jamestown in the 17th Exploring this interplay was a century. The Byrds became a lasting hallmark of her scholarly output. and prominent political dynasty Both books, which came early in in Virginia, as did the Harrisons, her career, represented important who produced Virginia governors contributions to the history of and two American presidents. As Greek sculpture and secured her a southerner, Harrison was proud place in the field. Her superb eye, of her family heritage, which even her analytical intellect, and her boasted distant kinship to Pocahon- gifts as a writer abound in these tas, but her life and her life’s work works. was spent in other places. She came Her teaching career began at north for her education, receiving the University of Cincinnati in her A.B. from Barnard College in 1951, where in addition to art his- 1941 and completing her M.A. at tory she taught first-year Greek Columbia University in 1943. She and Latin. Between 1953 and then had a break in her studies. Like 1955, she returned to research at many of her peers, she was enlisted in the war effort, the Agora excavations before joining the faculty of serving as a Research Analytic Specialist until 1945, the Department of Art History and Archaeology of where she worked on encryption and code breaking. Columbia University, where she was named full pro- Believing that as a classicist she had superior language fessor in 1967. Following her time at Columbia, she skills, the army gave her a crash course in Japanese spent four years at Princeton University; she was the and then set her to translating intercepted Japanese first woman to become full professor in the Depart- messages for the War Department. ment of Art History and Archaeology. In 1974, she By 1946, she had resumed doctoral studies at Co- joined the faculty of the Institute of Fine Arts, New lumbia, studying with William Bell Dinsmoor and York University, as Edith Kitzmiller Professor of the Margarete Bieber, and in 1949 she joined the staff of the History of Fine Arts. She became professor emerita in excavations of the Athenian Agora conducted by the 1992 but continued teaching at the institute until 2006. American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Her Throughout her long career, she spent almost every July 2013 (117.3) dissertation on the portrait sculpture from the Agora summer at the American School of Classical Studies came out of this work. It was revised and published in at Athens, studying the material from the Agora and 1953, the year after she was awarded her Ph.D., under elsewhere. This meant that her unusually sharp eyes the title Portrait Sculpture.1 It inaugurated the Agora ex- were continually honed. She possessed an uncom- cavation series. In 1965, Harrison contributed Archaic mon visual command of Greek sculpture akin to a 1 2 American Journal of Archaeology American 10.3764/ajaonline1173.McCredie DOI: of America Institute © 2013 Archaeological Copyright Harrison 1953. Harrison 1965, vi. mental database that allowed her to readily call up was very discriminating in the doctoral candidates images of everything she had ever seen. This visual she took on, choosing them not only for their talent acuity, along with her deep and broad knowledge of but also for the potential she saw in them. Often, she the ancient world, grounded her scholarly pursuits. could discern the direction of their interests before Above all, her interest was in iconography, in uncov- they did, and she was extremely skillful in assigning ering and understanding the meaning of sculpture, research topics that well suited them. As a mentor, she monuments, and architecture, especially within the tended to teach by listening, guiding, and showing, context of fifth-century Greece, although her publica- rather than telling. For instance, she might suggest, tions ranged from the Daedalic period to the age of then demonstrate how a particular fragment fit into a Constantine. She was a master of using details, often sculpture, something that could be difficult for those from fragments, to point to a deeper understanding of in training to see at first. And she was always gener- Greek history, culture, and society. The questions she ous with her time, making herself available to talk posed were basic. For example, she wanted to know through questions and problems. In fact, an afternoon who was being represented, what story or myth was conversation with her could last an hour or much being told, why it was being told in a certain way at longer and range over the entire ancient world, from a certain time, and how that ultimately fit into the sculpture to politics to literature. She was famous for larger scheme of life during that period. In Athens, her erudition, which spanned the ancient world. If a she taught generations of students in excavations point of interest arose that she was not familiar with, and museums. No one was more inspiring in front of her own deep sense of curiosity would propel her to ancient sculpture. investigate it for herself. Her research as an art historian always proceeded Outwardly she possessed a courtly southern man- first from the object. She began by intensely looking at ner and always had a ready smile, but immediately and examining what she was studying and from there underneath this gracious exterior was the force of her proceeded into close analysis. She possessed a phe- fierce intellect. She could be intimidating, yet she was nomenal capacity to analyze style. In particular, her also deeply admired, especially by her students. On contributions to style analyses of costume, including a day-to-day basis they witnessed her commitment hair and dress, down to details such as how particular to teaching and to scholarship. As “Miss Harrison folds draped, played an important role in suggesting students” they experienced her loyalty in supporting dates for sculpture and monuments and placing them them through their degrees and into the next phases of into an overall fifth-century chronology, a period in their careers. She was unfailingly helpful, not only as which few securely dated pieces exist. a teacher but in practical matters, too, such as steering Equally important, she translated her research and them toward appropriate fellowship opportunities hypotheses into books and articles that were admired and advocating that they receive fair pay for their for their well thought out, methodical arguments and work, including student jobs. their precise language. Her writing also evoked her As an éminence grise in the field of Greek sculpture, empathetic connection to the ancient world and its Harrison was among a small group of noted experts inhabitants. For example, her description of a marble asked to give their professional opinions when the J. miniature of Julia Domna brings the sculpture to life: Paul Getty Museum was in the process of acquiring “Expressive eyes and mobile mouth convey the vivid a controversial kouros. Was it right or not? Was it a personality of the Syrian-born empress, to whom the fake? Ultimately, the conclusion would rely heavily Athenians gave divine honors.”3 And the sculptural on the trained eyes of this small cadre of experts. On quality of Athena’s hair evokes much more when seeing the kouros, Harrison’s immediate response was Harrison suggests “[w]e are tempted to recall that subdued and unequivocal. She simply indicated that Athena’s birthday was in midsummer, when the she was sorry to hear the Getty was about to complete strong north wind stirs up the Aegean in just such the purchase of the statue. Somewhat surprisingly, lively waves.”4 the story of her role in the Getty kouros controversy Her years at the Institute of Fine Arts were prolific. crossed into the realm of popular culture when it was July 2013 (117.3) She published numerous articles, including an im- featured in Gladwell’s book Blink: the Power of Thinking portant three-part series “Alkamenes’ Sculptures for Without Thinking.6 It served as the lead-in case study the Hephaisteion.”5 These years were also devoted to setting up the book’s premise that first impressions teaching as well as mentoring her Ph.D. students. She are generally right because they are based on a surfeit 3 Harrison 1960, fig. 23 (caption). 5 Harrison 1977a, 1977b, 1977c. 4 6 American Journal of Archaeology American 1920–2012 Harrison, Byrd Evelyn McCredie, J.R. of America Institute © 2013 Archaeological Copyright Harrison 1967, 39. Gladwell 2005. 2 of underlying experience and knowledge that merge second half of the 20th century, one that deepened our into instant judgments that are usually intuitively understanding of individual works of art and broad- sound. Harrison’s immediate and assured response ened our awareness of their archaeological, cultural, to the questionable Getty kouros beautifully demon- and historical context. Evelyn Byrd Harrison died strated Gladwell’s hypothesis. At the same time, this peacefully at home in New York on 3 November 2012. story does not begin to do justice to the depth of her scholarship and accomplishments, which yielded her profound knowledge of ancient Greek sculpture.

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