Focused on the material world of America in historical and global contexts, the Winterthur Program addresses the complicated lives of objects, the way in which objects fostered human relationships, and how objects ranging from the seventeenth century to the modern era enable us to understand the past in all of its diversity, including the American material world created by Black, Indigenous, or other people of color.
Students come from across the country and also from abroad, with diverse backgrounds reflected by a broad range of undergraduate majors. Our faculty are leaders and scholars in the various fields of curating and museum studies, art history, history, literary studies, anthropology, and archaeology.
At both Winterthur and the University, field study and visiting researchers and professionals connect our students with faculty and colleagues around the world. All Winterthur Program students have the rare privilege of handling objects in the Museum collection, encouraging our students to personally engage with a wide range of materials from many different time periods and regions.
Students select the Winterthur Program for its small size, cohort model, unparalleled level of mentoring, experiential learning, and its commitment to fully funding all students, which have prepared them for exceptional careers. Examining this print in direct sunlight, its many flaws and relatively medium quality were quite evident. I could see the wrinkles in the paper, the scratches on the surface, and places where it has been later marked.
The velvety blacks of the mezzotint were not very strong — the sitter appeared fuzzy and slightly undefined, ghostly in the bright light. Though the subject is certainly interesting, I was more concerned with the materiality of the print, so the next step was to consider the lighting under which it would have been observed in the 18th century.
