Dana Angell, History ‘02

Dana, a senior History major from Midlothian, Virginia (just outside Richmond), says that she had wanted to intern at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History since she was in high school. Having been unable to do so because of scheduling conflicts until now, she has finally grasped the opportunity during this, her final, semester. It has been worth the wait, she says.

She travels to DC each Tuesday and Thursday by train, a commute that takes from an hour-and-a-half to two hours each way. During her workday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., there is no typical routine, which enables her to become involved in a variety of projects within the Photographic History section where she is assigned. Her main project to date has been to research and catalogue various collections of photographers’ works in order to prepare them for inclusion in a web-based research guide.

“So far,” she says, “I have worked specifically on the Imogen Cunningham and Ansel Adams collection. I have to go through each print in the collection and write a full catalogue and sheet of each, which includes measuring and describing the photos. Once this is completed, I enter all that information into the Smithsonian’s electronic catalogue, called Multi Mimsy. Then I research the life and history of the photographer to write a scope and content note. This area is where my history background really comes in handy. Once that is all compiled, the information will be transported to the website (which has not been created yet) so people can search for titles, photographers, or subjects and read about all the particular work(s) in question.”

In addition to working directly with the photographic collections, Dana has received training in the proper cataloguing and handling of objects, particularly old cameras and daguerreotypes. The internship has also provided opportunities to experience other parts of the museum, including the archives, the Newseum, and various specific exhibitions, as well as to tour the Pentagon and to attend lectures and social events connected with the Smithsonian.

Given her career plans for eventually becoming a curator in an American history museum, this internship has proven to be an extraordinarily useful experience for Dana. “I highly recommend interning at the Smithsonian for anyone interested in museums,” she says. “Oh, I should also mention that I am interning in the same department where Katherine Hunt [History, ‘01] interned. So there is a small MWC dynasty in Photographic History!”

Students interested in an internship at NMAH should check the museum’s website: www.americanhistory.si.edu. The site contains applications for internships, as well as information about the museum.