Early Life and Artistic Foundations Edwin Longsden Long, born in the elegant spa town of Bath, Somerset, in 1829, emerged as a significant figure within the Victorian art world. His father, James Long, was a hairdresser, and young Edwin received his initial education at Dr. Viner’s School, where an early aptitude for drawing quickly became apparent. This nascent talent propelled him towards a career in painting, initially focused on the meticulous demands of portraiture. He diligently studied at the British Museum, absorbing the masters, before becoming a pupil of James Mathews Leigh in Lond…