Internship | NPG in London
As noted at BARS:
Internship at the National Portrait Gallery, London
Applications due by 12 August 2012
The National Portrait Gallery is seeking to appoint an intern for six months with a proven interest in portraiture to gain experience in general curatorial work and research across a number of projects. The main focus of the internship will be on the 18th-Century Collections but an interest in the portraiture of other periods is desirable. Tasks may include answering public enquiries, scoping out ideas for the annual redisplay of Regency miniatures, research towards a forthcoming display on World War Two and the RAF at Beningbrough Hall, Yorkshire and research support towards an academic study of portrait print collecting and extra-illustration in eighteenth-century Britain. As a large part of the internship will involve research in libraries and archives in London, it would be an advantage to have completed an MA or be engaged in a programme of PhD study. The intern will be supervised by the 18th Century Curator and Assistant Curator, 18th Century.
Hours: 1 day (8 hours) per week for six months to be agreed with the curator
Travel Expenses: Travel costs of up to ten pounds (£10) per week can be claimed
Ideally we would like candidates to be available for a 6-month period.
Qualifications and Experience
• Good general knowledge of British art history and/or history
• A proven interest in the eighteenth century and a reasonable understanding of portraiture as a genre
• The internship would ideally suit those candidates who have completed an Art History or History MA or are engaged in a programme of PhD study who have an interest in pursuing museum work
Skills and Attributes
• Ideal candidates will need to have a flexible approach and be prepared to contribute to a number of different projects
• Candidates will also need to be able to demonstrate a careful approach and attention to detail
• Excellent written English is an essential requirement
Please send your CV and a covering letter either by e-mailing: curatorialoffice@npg.org.uk or by writing to: Emily Burns, Curatorial Office, National Portrait Gallery, 2 St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE. Closing date for returned applications: 9.00am Monday, 13 August 2012. Interviews will take place in the week beginning 20 August 2012.
CAA International Travel Grant Program for 2013
International Travel Grant Program for the 2013 CAA Conference
New York, 11-16 February 2013
Applications due by 15 August 2012
CAA invites individuals to apply to the International Travel Grant Program, generously supported by the Getty Foundation. This program provides funding to twenty art historians, museum curators, and artists who teach art history to attend the 101st Annual Conference, taking place February 13–16, 2013, in New York. The grant covers travel expenses, hotel accommodations, per diems, conference registrations, and one-year CAA memberships. For 2013, CAA will offer preconference meetings on February 11 and 12 for grant recipients to present and discuss their common professional interests and issues.
The goal of the program is to increase international participation in CAA and to diversify the organization’s membership (presently seventy-two countries are represented). CAA also wishes to familiarize international participants with the submission process for conference sessions and to expand their professional network in the visual arts. As they did last year, members of CAA’s International Committee and the National Committee for the History of Art have agreed to host the participants.
Are You Eligible? (more…)
Call for Nominations | Marc Raeff Book Prize
Marc Raeff Book Prize for Outstanding Work on Imperial Russia
Nominations due by 30 June 2012
The Eighteenth-Century Russian Studies Association, an affiliate organization of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES), is now accepting submissions for the second annual Marc Raeff Book Prize. The prize is awarded annually for a publication that is of exceptional merit and lasting significance for understanding Imperial Russia, particularly during the long eighteenth-century. The recipient of the award will be recognized with a cash prize, which will be presented in November 2012, during the ASEEES annual convention. The award is sponsored by the ECRSA and named in honor of Marc Raeff (1923-2008), historian, teacher, and dix–huitièmiste par excellence. (more…)
Edinburgh’s Master’s Program in Eighteenth-Century Cultures
The University of Edinburgh’s one-year Master’s program in Eighteenth-Century Cultures — the only program of its kind, based in the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature, and the capital city of the Scottish Enlightenment, that focuses on eighteenth-century culture from British, Continental, and transatlantic perspectives. Students work closely with an international team of scholars, curators, and archivists, to develop a solid yet innovative understanding of the cultural history of the eighteenth century. The program combines an on-site internship in one of Edinburgh’s world-class galleries or museums or archives with seminar-based academic training.
Students taking this programme work closely with a team of international experts in visual, material, literary, and social history, including scholars based in History, History of Art, Divinity, and Law. We collaborate with archivists and curators from National Museums Scotland, the National Galleries of Scotland, and other cultural repositories.
Our expertise covers British, European, and transatlantic approaches to this period. This programme provides students with a wide-ranging introduction to the cultural life of the eighteenth century, from a perspective befitting our location in Scotland’s capital. In addition to weekly seminars and research training, leading to a summer spent preparing their dissertations, students on this programme take an internship in one of Edinburgh’s world-class repositories of Europe’s cultural heritage. They develop skills in curatorship, archival management, conservation, restoration of architectural monuments and gardens, or engage in public history. Upon graduation, you will have gained the research and practical expertise in cultural history for a career within or beyond the scholarly world. You will also have had the unique opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to our understanding of cultural life in the eighteenth century.
For further details, click here:
http://bit.ly/xEGVsu
Call for Book Proposals: New Series from Ashgate
As noted at Richard Woodfield’s site at Academia.edu:
Monographs in Art Historiography
A New Series from Ashgate Publishing Edited by Richard Woodfield
The aim of this series is to support and promote the study of the history and practice of art historical writing focusing on its institutional and conceptual foundations, from the past to the present day in all areas and all periods. Besides addressing the major innovators of the past it also encourages re-thinking ways in which the subject may be written in the future. It ignores the disciplinary boundaries imposed by the Anglophone expression ‘art history’ and allows and encourages the full range of enquiry that encompasses the visual arts in its broadest sense as well as topics falling within archaeology, anthropology, ethnography and other specialist disciplines and approaches. It welcomes contributions from young and established scholars and is aimed at building an expanded audience for what has hitherto been a much specialised topic of investigation. It complements the work of the Journal of Art Historiography. Proposals should take the form of either
1) a preliminary letter of inquiry, briefly describing the project; or
2) a formal prospectus including: abstract, table of contents, sample chapter, estimate of length (in words, not pages), estimate of the number and type of illustrations to be included, and a c.v.
Please send a copy of either type of proposal to both the series editor and to the publisher:
Professor Richard Woodfield, Editor of the Journal of Art Historiography, http://arthistoriography.wordpress.com,
r.woodfield@bham.ac.uk and Erika Gaffney, Publishing Manager, Ashgate Publishing Company, 101 Cherry Street, Suite 420, Burlington VT 05401-4405, USA, egaffney@ashgate.com
Curatorial Fellowship at the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Allen Whitehill Clowes Curatorial Fellowship
Indianapolis Museum of Art, 2012-2013
Applications due by 30 March 2012
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is pleased to announce a nine-month curatorial fellowship. The fellowship supports scholarly research related to the Clowes Collection at the IMA and provides curatorial training in the field of European painting and sculpture. The Clowes Fellow is fully integrated into the curatorial division of the Museum and has duties comparable to those of an assistant curator, ranging from collection research and management to exhibition development and the preparation of interpretive materials and programs.
To be eligible for the fellowship, the applicant must be enrolled in a graduate course of study leading to an advanced degree in the history of art or a related discipline, or be a recent degree recipient (within the last two years). Applicants must demonstrate scholarly excellence and promise, as well as a strong interest in the museum profession. U.S. citizenship is not required.
The Clowes Fellow will receive a stipend of $18,000 and an educational travel allowance of $2,000. Housing is provided in a scholar’s residence on the grounds of the museum. The nine-month fellowship period will begin September 4, 2012. The appointment is renewable. (more…)
Call for H-ALBION Book Review Editor: Ireland
Call for H-ALBION Book Review Editor: History of Ireland, 1500 to 1800
Applications due by 1 February 2012

Wenceslaus Hollar, "Ireland," state 2, seventeenth century (Toronto: Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library)
H-Albion is looking for candidates who would like serve as our Book Review Editor for Ireland. Applications are invited from scholars specializing in the early modern period. The successful candidate will serve as book review editor for two years and will be responsible for commissioning and editing book reviews. Please send a cover letter and CV to Jason M. Kelly at jaskelly@iupui.edu.
Phillips Book Prize
Phillips Book Prize
Applications due by 15 January 2012
The Phillips Collection Center for the Study of Modern Art offers an annual prize for an unpublished manuscript presenting new research in modern or contemporary art from 1780 to the present. Preference is given to applicants whose research focuses on subjects related to the museum’s areas of collecting. The winner receives $5,000, and his or her manuscript will be published by the Univ. of CA Press. Scholars who received their PhDs within the past 5 years are strongly encouraged to apply.
TO APPLY: submit a cover letter, a CV, an abstract of the proposed book (1-page max), and a book proposal (8-10 pages). The book proposal should include a project overview, chapter outlines, a plan for revisions and completion of the manuscript, and a description of the book’s position in the literature of modern or contemporary art. Three current letters of recommendation are also required. Please send materials electronically to CSMAprograms@phillipscollection.org.
Call for Book Proposals: British Art Global Contexts
As noted at British Art Research:
Book proposals are welcomed for Ashgate’s British Art: Global Contexts series, edited by Jason Edwards, University of York; Sarah Monks, University of East Anglia; and Sarah Victoria Turner, University of York. The series provides a forum for the study of British art, design, and visual culture in the global context from 1700 to the present. Books to be published will include monographs, thematic studies, and edited collections of essays, specializing in studies of British Art within comparative and interdisciplinary frameworks. For more information, please visit the series webpage at www.ashgate.com/Default.aspx?page=3503.
British Art: Global Contexts provides a forum for the study of British art, design and visual culture in the global context from 1700 to the present day. Focusing upon the transport, location and reception of British art across the world; the British reception and exhibition of art from around the globe; and transnational and cosmopolitan art containing significant British components; the series seeks to problematize, historicise and specify the idea of ‘British’ art across the period, as it intersects with local, regional, international and global issues, communities, materials, and environments. Books to be published will include monographs and thematic studies, single authored works and edited volumes of essays, specialising in studies of British art within comparative and interdisciplinary frameworks.
The series will publish research which deals with fine art objects and the broader visual and material cultural environment of Britain and its historical territories, as well as with the global diaspora of British artists, genres, artefacts, materials and styles, and the contribution to British art of other global diasporas. Proposals are welcomed which deal with aspects of art and design history and visual culture, from the perspective of the colonising, decolonising and post-colonial world, global history, and the circum-Atlantic.
Please send letters of inquiry or full proposals to Meredith Norwich, Commissioning Editor for Visual Studies, mnorwich@ashgate.com, AND Jason Edwards,je7@york.ac.uk; Sarah Monks, s.monks@uea.ac.uk; and Sarah Victoria Turner,svt500@york.ac.uk.
Understanding British Portraits Research Network
The Understanding British Portraits Research Network is an active network with free membership for professionals working with British portraits including curators, museum learning professionals, researchers, academics, and conservators. Having come across the network via its exciting 2012 bursary announcement, I was really impressed with the project’s promotion of, and research into, the British portrait. The maximum funding of £500 is intended to cover five days of research, along with accommodations and travel expenses. With news, an annual seminar, and several bursaries, the network is a resource many will find useful. –FG
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The Understanding British Portraits Network Bursary for 2012
Applications due by 8 September 2011
The Understanding British Portraits network is led by the National Portrait Gallery, the National Trust, The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Renaissance North East and Renaissance South West. It aims to enhance the knowledge and understanding of portraits in all media in British collections, and to facilitate future dialogue and debate around research methodologies, interpretation, display and learning programmes. The network has a particular interest in promoting the research and interpretation of regional collections. More information can be found on the UBP website: www.portraits.specialistnetwork.org.uk.
This bursary will give the successful candidate the opportunity to devote five working days, over a period of almost six months, to a portrait-focused project of their choosing. Projects can involve a particular portrait, artist, collection, pattern of collecting, method of display, interpretation, or learning programme. The UBP network will provide a maximum budget of £500 to offset expenses such as travel and accommodation. The successful candidate is free to determine the best means of using their budget in order to complete their project; this might include a visit to the National Portrait Gallery’s Heinz Archive and Library to conduct research and meet with relevant members of staff. Applications should take the form of a concise outline (max. 500 words) of the proposed project. The proposal should include:
- a description of the project and clear objectives
- proposed activities involved in your project
- specific partners expected to be involved in your research (e.g. local libraries, private collections, auction houses, museums, etc.)
- desired outcomes and target audience
- CPD benefits
- timescale of research (all projects must be completed by 23 March 2012)
- estimated use of funds
- how the outcomes of the bursary will be disseminated among professional colleagues within the successful candidate’s organisation and region.
Applications must be accompanied by a brief nomination from line managers.
Advice for applicants:
- Please begin your application by stating that you are applying for the UBP network bursary, followed by your name, job title, and details of your nominee.
- Past applicants to the UBP bursary and placement schemes are welcome to apply again.
- The project should be realistically achievable in the limited budget and timescale.
- The bursary cannot be spent on conference fees or training courses.
The deadline for applications and nominations is 12 noon on Friday 9 September 2011; please email both applications and nominations to ssnportraiture@npg.org.uk. Applications received after this time will not be considered. In the meantime, any queries should be sent to the same address. Applications will be assessed by the Understanding British Portraits Steering Group, and all applicants contacted before the end of September.
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P R E V I O U S R E C I P I E N T S
Paul Holden, House and Collections Manager, Lanhydrock

Studio of Godfrey Kneller, "John Robartes, later 1st Earl of Radnor, Dressed in his Lord Privy Seal Robes," ca. 1680 (Lanhydrock, Cornwall)
My aim was to assess the connoisseurship and collecting habits of the first four Earls of Radnor and perhaps in the process recognise the provenance of our collections at Lanhydrock. Looking predominantly at portraiture my two trips to London took me to the NPG Heinz archive, the V&A art library to look at auction records and the British Library to look through remnants of Radnor correspondence. My aim is to write this research up for future publication and incorporate some of the findings as house presentation in our ‘Bringing Properties to Life’ project. I will also use the information in a lecture entitled ”The Earls of Radnor as Connoisseurs (1679-1758)’ to be held at Lanhydrock on 25 November 2011 (for further details or booking call 01208 265950). Furthermore, in putting these details together our Collections Management database will benefit from more detailed entries. I have wanted to do this research for some time now and the bursary has, at last, made it possible. The bursary programme worked extremely well and facilitated research which may not have been possible through the daily work pattern. I
fully applaud the scheme and am grateful for the opportunity to participate. Thank you
for giving me the opportunity to pursue this line of research. It was an experience that I
found very enriching both personally, academically and culturally.
Jo Cairns, Museum Assistant, Mount Edgcumbe House
The project set out to enhance our understanding of several seventeenth-century portraits in the Mount Edgcumbe collection, hopefully shedding new light on the story of the Edgcumbe family and therefore improving our ability to interpret these portraits for the public.
The four portraits chosen for the project were of unidentified sitters and were by unidentified artists. They had all been ‘cleaned’ and ‘retouched’ at various intervals in the past making them all the more difficult to decipher. Research was undertaken into the inscriptions, symbols and heraldry shown in some of the portraits, the costume worn by the sitters and the Edgcumbe family history. This all helped to date the portraits more accurately and narrow down the possible identities of the sitters. In one instance it enabled me to positively identify one of the portraits as Sir Richard Edgcumbe (1565-1639).
This project has benefitted me personally in a number of ways. It significantly increased my confidence in researching and working with the portrait collection at Mount Edgcumbe, and has also increased my understanding of many subjects I had not foreseen, for example costume, heraldry and painting conservation techniques. I believe the project has also been extremely beneficial to Mount Edgcumbe, allowing me to dedicate time on research which would otherwise not have been done.





















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