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 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.
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