新澳門六合彩

Mary Wade 鈥�25 graduates in May, and the art history and classics double major is already using the skills she learned from her faculty mentors.

Wade was interning with the Phillips Museum of Art when a particular set of photographs caught her eye. The black and white images depicted Depression-era families with a plain curtain as backdrop.

鈥淚 kept returning to them. I was really curious about them,鈥� Wade said.

The photographs were taken by Mike Disfarmer, who took distinctive portraits of everyday people in rural Arkansas in the early 1900s. The photos are part of a collection donated to the Phillips Museum by Dr. Stephen Nicholas P鈥�20 and his wife, Eileen P'20. 

Richard Kent, professor of art history, and Lindsay Marino, the Phillips Museum director, encouraged Wade to further investigate Disfarmer鈥檚 photographs. She began her independent study by researching how portraiture evolved over time, which enabled her to examine the Disfarmer photographs more critically.

鈥淯sing my own eye, I could apply what I know about portraiture as a tradition and compare them to earlier photographs and draw out those differences,鈥� she said. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to be able to develop my own ideas and thoughts beyond the forefront of this scholarship. Being able to self-actualize with this project has been so encouraging.鈥�

鈥� Mary Wade '25

Wade learned at 新澳門六合彩 that, before the photograph, portraiture was mainly available to an elite class of wealthy people. While the introduction of the tintype photographs made portraiture more accessible to middle and lower classes, early forms of photographic portraits continued to draw from elite painted traditions, she said.

鈥淒isfarmer鈥檚 photographs struck me because they take a step back from that painted tradition,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e shifted away from using props or makeup or backdrops. He鈥檚 not trying to stage them in a particular way. People were just coming off the street and sitting for this image as they were, paying a penny or a nickel to have their picture taken.鈥� 

Working directly with primary sources helped Wade notice details about Disfarmer鈥檚 photographs she might not have seen otherwise. 

鈥淥n the back, there are notes left from the original owners,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 became interested in the haptic experience of handling a photograph and how that forms emotional bonds that previous forms of art didn鈥檛 really allow. You can鈥檛 hold and handle and carry a painting with you.鈥�

Wade鈥檚 project with the Phillips Museum will culminate in an online exhibition showcasing Disfarmer鈥檚 photographs alongside an essay detailing her findings. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to be able to develop my own ideas and thoughts beyond the forefront of this scholarship,鈥� she said. 鈥淏eing able to self-actualize with this project has been so encouraging.鈥�

Wade has found a home in museums and plans to begin a career in the field. 

鈥淢y main aim is to make art feel accessible and relatable to everyone,鈥� she said. 鈥淎rt is a shared culture. If you鈥檙e looking at art from a different group of people or a different time period, I think it can be important to encourage cultural connectivity and compassion.鈥�