User:Jones1901/sandbox/Ethel Abraham

Ethel Beatrice Abrahams (1881- April 1956) is known her 1908 study Greek Dress: a study of the costumes worn in Ancient Greece, from pre-Hellenic times to Hellenistic age. This major, illustrated study of Ancient Greek costume, footwear and headgear was based on research into Greek vase paintings. Abrahams was an alumna of Bedford College for Women.

Early and Private Life
Abrahams was born in Clerkenwell, Islington in 1881 to Phineus Abrahams (b.1834), an upholsterer and later a house furnisher, and Jane Maria Abrahams (b. 1852). For her early life she lived at 84 Portsdown Road, Paddington, with her parents and four siblings: Charles Abrahams (b. 1858), Florence May Gower (b. 1876), Rose Juliet Abrahams (b. 1878) and Percy Abrahams (b. 1889).

In 1916 Abrahams married Walter Willoughby Basil Culley (1887-1978), who served in 28th London Regiment, Royal Garrison Artillery.

Education
As a child, Abrahams attended Maida Vale High School for Girls, which has now been replaced by Paddington Academy. She then attended Bedford College for Women where she graduated with a second class honours in BA Classics (Intermediate Arts) and then a second BA Classics degree in 1904. Abrahams was awarded a Fellowship from Reid Trustees of Bedford College in 1905. In 1906 she went to British School of Athens to work on her MA dissertation with Ernest Arthur Gardner. While there she also had the opportunity to discuss with Mr R. C. Bosanquet the ‘dress of the archaic statues in the Acropolis Museum’. Abrahams published her dissertation Greek Dress: a study of the costume worn in Ancient Greece from pre Hellenic times to the Hellenistic age in 1908, which she dedicated to her friend Ethel Strudwick. Abrahams went on to graduate with an MA in Classical Archaeology from Bedford Faculty of Arts in 1909.

Work
Abrahams was one of 'the first female scholars of ancient Greek dress'.

From 1916-19 Abrahams worked as an examiner for postal censorship.

Legacy
Abrahams has an award named after her at Royal Holloway, University of London. This award is given to a postgraduate student to continue research or advanced study in Greek.