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33 that the painting was the one once owned by Smith the museum immediately moved to acquire it. No single photograph had been associated with de Forests painting of the Ramesseum until the museum initiated a purchase review of the canvas. In the course of her research Cunningham Center man- ager Henriette Kets de Vries discovered an image by French photog- rapher Henri Bchard that except for a few minor details was the same composition. At the time of de Forests visit to Egypt Bchard was operating a photographic studio in Cairo from which he sold standard tourist views. De Forests painting differs from the Bchard photograph only in the number of gures two in the painting three in the photograph and in the elimination of a leaning column visible in the photograph in the far background. In virtually every other as- pect the painting matches the photograph including the cast shad- ows on the ground and the shapes made by the sunlit columns on the left. Following this discovery the museum worked to acquire the photograph in addition to the painting. Recovering these works allows us to represent a little bit more of what the original comprehensive collection of American art was like says Davis. Ramesseum at Thebes will remain on view through July 2016 on the third oor of the museum in a changing installation of related works to place it in historical and aesthetic context. The installation was co-curated by Diana Wolfe Larkin an independent art historian specializing in ancient Egyptian art and Alex Dika Seg- german Five College Mellon Post-Doctoral fellow teaching courses on Islamic art and architecture at Smith this year. For more on this paintings fascinating history and homecoming please visit www.smith.eduinsightstoriesramesseum.php. STUDENT PERSPECTIVE STRIDE SCHOLAR SAMANTHA PAGE 17 The summer before my rst year of college is when I began to consider working in a museum as a potential career path. Now two years later a diverse array of experiences working and studying in museums allow me to continue considering the eld of museum work in light of more nuanced and personal understandings. I entered Smith as a STRIDE Scholar fortunate to receive the opportunity to begin my college career with two years of undergraduate research. My assignment was to work with Jessica Nicoll and that September we embarked on a project focused on the de- accessioning of works of art from SCMAs American collec- tion in the 1940s. This project opened my eyes to a world of research history and art deepening my appreciation of SCMA and art museums in general. My research on paintings by Childe Hassam Thomas Wilmer Dewing and William Merritt Chase inspired me to take Professor John Daviss class on American Art History from the Civil War to the Modern Era which provided me with the academic background that further enhanced my research. This combination of class work and project work helped me come to understand arts power to reveal deep com- plicated histories and I was inspired to declare a major in American Studies with a minor in Art History. I also am part of Smiths Museums Concentration another avenue to marry academics with practical experience. Aside from my object-based research at SCMA I have begun exploring the role of education in museums. During the summer of 2014 I interned at the Zimmer Childrens Museum in Los Angeles and I spent last summer in the Education Depart- ment at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I am looking forward to my junior year interning at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. as part of the Smithsonian Program and studying abroad in Crdoba Spain where I plan to take advantage of the local and regional historical and cultural resources. As I embark on these new experiences I am well aware that my time at SCMA working independently discussing aspects of the museum and its collection in classes and learning from students and staff who share this space has prepared me to make the most of my new settings and surroundings. I am excited to take the tools I have gained from my time at SCMA and apply them to new projects knowing that when I return to Smith for my senior year my opportunities to synthesize my new knowledge and experiences will be boundless. Henri Bchard. French active 1869late 1880s Thebes Temple of the Ramesseum Interior of the Hypostyle Hall 1870s Albumen print from wet collodion negative mounted on paperboard Purchased with the fund in honor of Charles Chet- ham the Elizabeth Halsey Dock class of 1933 Fund and the Eva W. Nair class of 1928 Fund SCMA opposite page Lockwood de Forest. American 18501932. Ramesseum at Thebes ca. 187679. Oil on canvas. Purchased with the Hillyer-Mather-Tryon Fund Samantha Page 17 is an American Studies major and Art History minor and former STRIDE Scholar 201315.