Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 34.djvu/108

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Long
102
Long

trait-painter; painting Charles Greville [q. v.], Lord Ebury, and others. making the acquaintance of John Phillip, R.A. [q. v.], he accompanied that artist 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), 'Lazarilla and the blind beggar' (1870), were painted under Spanish influence. His first important pictures were 'The Suppliants' (1872) and 'The Babylonian marriage market' (both subsequently purchased by Thomas Holloway). Long was soon thoroughly imbued with eastern archæology and mainly occupied himself in depicting oriental scenes like 'The Egyptian Feast' (1877), 'The Gods and their makers (1878), &c. He was elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1876 and an academician in 1881. His pictures always attracted attention and his 'Diana and Christ' (1881) (now in the possession of Mr. Daniel Thwaites), greatly enhanced his reputation. His pictures suited the taste and appealed to the religious sentiment of a large portion of the public, and their popularity was increased by a wide circulation of engravings. He consequently determined to exhibit his next pictures in a separate gallery of his own in Bond Street, and there in 1883, and the following years, his 'Anno Domini' and 'Zeuxis at Crotona' met with great commercial success. He was engaged on some characteristic pictures which he intended to add to his gallery, when he fell a victim to pneumonia resulting from influenza, and died at his residence, Kelston, Netherhall gardens, Hampstead, on 15 May 1891, in his sixty-second year. He was buried in West Hampstead cemetery. The will signed by him on the day of his death was the subject of a lawsuit, to which his relatives were parties, but the matter in dispute was amicably arranged (Times, 13 and 14 Dec. 1892).

Besides the 'Edwin Long' Gallery in Old Bond Street, a number of his pictures was collected together after his death, and formed the nucleus of a gallery of Christian Art which replaced the works of Gustave Doré in the well-known gallery in new Bond Street. Long had considerable practice as a portrait painter but his success in that line was not conspicuous, although he obtained high patronage and very large prices. He painted for the Baroness Burdett Coutts (his chief patron) portraits of herself, her friend Mrs Brown, and Mr. Henry Irving. Among other portraits of his latter years were a memorial portrait of the Earl of Iddesleigh, of which he painted a weak replica for the National Portrait gallery, portraits of Cardinal Manning (perhaps his best effort in this line), Samuel Cousins, Sir Edmund Henderson and others. In his earlier works Long showed great power and thoroughly deserved his success and popularity. His later works were in no way worthy of the same admiration; they suffered from a continual repetition of types which resulted in monotony.

He married a daughter of Dr. William Aiton, by whom he left a family, of whom a son, Maurice Long, was killed in a railway accident at Burgos in Spain on 23 Sep. 1892.

[Hampstead express, 18 Jan 1890, 16 May 1891; Daily Graphic, 16 and 18 May 1891; Athenæum, 23 May 1891; Scotsman, 16 May 1891.]

L. C.

LONG, GEORGE (1780–1868), police magistrate, born in 1780, was second son of Joseph Long of Shopwick, near Chichester, Sussex. He first practised as an attorney in London, but on 6 Feb. 1806 he was admitted of Gray's Inn, and was called to the bar on 11 Feb. 1811 (Foster, Gray's Inn Reg. p. 408). He joined the home circuit and attended the Sussex sessions as a special pleader. In 1839 he was appointed a magistrate at Great Marlborough Street police court, and from 1840 until 1842 was recorder of Coventry. In 1841 he was transferred to Marylebone police court. He retired in 1859, being then a bencher of his inn, and died on 26 June 1868 at 51 Queen Anne Street, Cavendish Square.

Long's professional treatises are those of a sound lawyer, but his other writings are commonplace. He published: 1. 'Observations on a Bill to amend the Laws relatingto the Relief of the Poor in England,' 8vo, London, 1821. 2. 'A Treatise on the Law relative to Sales of Personal Property,' 8vo, London, 1821; 2nd American edit., with. additions by B. Rand, 8vo, Boston, Massachusetts, 1839. 3. 'Reflections on certain Parts of the Law of England: with Suggestions for the Improvement of the same,' 8vo, London, 1827. 4. 'An Essay on the Moral Nature of Man,' 8vo, London, 1841. 5. 'The Conduct of Life, a Series of Essays,' 8vo, London, 1845. 6. 'An Inquiry concerning Religion,' 8vo, London, 1855. He also revised and corrected the legal portion of the second edition of Captain William Hough's 'Practice of Courts-Martial,' 8vo, London, 1825.

[Law Lists; Times, 29 June 1868.]

G. G.

LONG, GEORGE (1800–1879), classical scholar, eldest son of James Long, merchant, born at Poulton, Lancashire, on 4 Nov. 1800, was educated at Macclesfield grammar school,