1905 Print Mary Edith Durham Nivitza Indigenous Fez Balkan States XGBA9
At a doctor's insistence, and in an attempt to recuperate from exhaustion due to becoming the primary caregiver to her ailing mother, at the age of 37 Durham traveled to the southern Balkans. This trip became a formative experience in Durham's life; she traveled extensively in the Balkans over the next twenty years, spending a considerable amount of time in Albania, where she became known as "Kralica e Malësorevet," or the "Queen of the Highlanders." Traveling as a "Sworn Virgin," an ancient Albanian custom of women who dress in men's attire and are considered a protected individuals, as well as the Albanian tradition of insuring guests' safety, Durham benefited and was able to travel extensively as a woman. During this time, she wrote seven books on Balkan affairs, customs, and culture; these writings earned her particular fame. She came to identify closely with the Albanian cause, championing the unity and independence of the Albanian people.
Upon her death in 1944, Durham's work was donated to academic collections including the Royal Anthropological Institute in London, the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, and the Bankfield Museum in Halifax.
CONDITION
This 106+ year old Item is rated Near Mint / Very Fine. Light foxing - bottom margin. No creases. No natural defects.No Surface Rub.No tears. No water damage.
- Product Type: Original Halftone Print; Black / White
- Grade: Near Mint / Very Fine
- Dimensions: Approximately 6.25 x 5 inches; 16 x 13 cm
- Authentication: Serial-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity w/ Full Provenance
- Protection: Packaged in a custom archival sleeve with an acid-free black board (great for display, gift-giving, and preservation)
This piece was illustrated by Durham, M. Edith. There is no visible artist signature.
Durham, Mary Edith
Mary Edith Durham (8 December 1863 - 15 November 1944) was a British writer, artist, and traveler. She became renowned for her anthropological accounts of life in the Balkan States, especially Albania, in the early twentieth century.
The daughter of a distinguished London surgeon, Durham was educated privately, developing a talent for watercolor painting and illustration before ultimately attending the Royal Academy of Arts and Bedford College in London. Durham contributed detailed illustrations to the amphibian and reptiles volume of the Cambridge Natural History (1899) and exhibited her work widely. Her work became anthropologically significant; she frequently contributed to the journal Man and became a Fellow at the Royal Anthropological Institute.
Keywords specific to this image: Balkan Peninsula, Tribal, Southeastern Europe
XGBA9C05 zz10000