Mary Edith Durham was a writer, artist, and anthropologist, who became well known for her work on Albania. She was the first woman Vice President of the Royal Anthropological Institute, and a member of the Rationalist Press Association, whose obituary for Durham is reproduced below. Durham’s photographs, sketches, and collections can be found in museums and archives across the UK, including Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum and the Bankfield Museum of Halifax.
From: The Literary Guide, December 1944
We regret to record the death, at the age of 81, of Miss M. E. Durham, who was distinguished as an artist, author, and anthropologist. She had an intimate knowledge of the Balkan peoples and wrote several books about them, including Some Tribal Origins, Laws and Customs of the Balkans, published in 1928. On her eightieth birthday the Royal Anthropological Institute, of which she had been a Fellow since 1908, subsequently becoming a member of the Council, made her a presentation in recognition of her exceptional services. Miss Durham was a member of the R.P.A., and from time to time contributed letters to this journal which showed her keen interest in the work of the Association.
Edith Durham | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Main image: Edith Durham in the 1880s (Photo: courtesy of Jane Wales)
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