Edward McCartan was born in Albany, NY in 1879. He set up a studio in New York City in the 1920s and studied at the Art Students League and Pratt Institute in New York, and at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He was greatly influenced by the technical execution and skill of the French sculptor, Jean Antoine Houdon. McCartan’s subjects consisted of Greek Mythological figures including Diana, Nymphs and Satyrs, and Dionysus.  

Diana and a Doe, 1924, exhibits a different pose from Diana, The Huntress. Here, Diana stands triumphantly in front of the doe, holding a bow. Her stance is graceful in movement, yet thematically powerful.