Evelyn Beatrice Longman

Evelyn Beatrice Longman (1874-1954) was one of the most distinguished American sculptors of her generation and a pioneering figure among American women artists. Born in Winchester, Ohio, in 1874, she showed early artistic promise and pursued her formal training at the Art Institute of Chicago under the celebrated American sculptor Lorado Taft. Her natural talent and remarkable dedication earned her recognition even during her student years, and she quickly moved on to a professional life that would establish her at the forefront of American sculpture.

Longman's decisive career opportunity came when she became an assistant to Daniel Chester French, the most influential American sculptor of the period, in his celebrated studio at Chesterwood in Massachusetts. Working alongside French and observing the production of some of the most important American public monuments of the early twentieth century gave her an unparalleled apprenticeship. She was the only assistant French ever employed to work independently on his commissions, and his confidence in her abilities helped launch her own major public career.

Longman's most iconic public work is Genius of Electricity, later renamed Spirit of Communication and popularly known as Golden Boy, a monumental gilded bronze figure originally installed atop the AT&T Building on Broadway in New York and later relocated to the AT&T corporate headquarters. She also designed the great bronze doors of the United States Naval Academy Chapel at Annapolis, one of the most important American ecclesiastical sculptural commissions of the period. Her work earned her the honor of becoming the first woman elected to full membership in the National Academy of Design in 1919, a landmark achievement that opened the way for women sculptors of subsequent generations. Her sculptures are held in major American museums and civic collections.