Elementary, my dear Watson!

Amanda Bartel with some items from the Bluffton University Historic Costumes collection

Former Anacostia Community Museum (ACM) and National Portrait Gallery (NPG) SI intern Amanda Bartel recently resolved a mystery of the Bluffton University Historic Costumes Collection: using expertise and research methods she learned at the Smithsonian, Amanda was able to attribute undocumented objects to certain periods of fashion history.

Amanda as an intern at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum

Prior to embarking on this ambitious project Bartel gained essential skills during her two internships at the Smithsonian Institution. As an intern at the Anacostia Community Museum (ACM) she assisted the collections manager Dr. Josh Gorman. During her second stint at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) she digitized files and answered research requests, but, most importantly, learned how to use the clothing styles as a clue to determine what year a portrait was painted.

To learn more read the original article at the Bluffton University website.