I worked on the Anna Osler Shepard photographic collection and on some
corresponding archives as an intern in the 1980s at the University of
Colorado, Boulder.  Shepard was an anthropologist and, if memory serves me
correctly, was a curator at a museum in Balboa Park, San Diego in the 1920s.
 Shepard was in her 20's at the time.  I remember reading a note of hers in
which she describes how difficult it was to have to tell a donor that her
son's baby bath would not be exhibited in perpetuity next to her donation of
dinosaur bones!

Most specifically in relation to your research, while a curator, Shepard
wrote a letter to the American Association of Museums in which she inquired
about career opportunities for women in the museum field.  The gist of the
response was, "How well do you type?"  I think the letter also indicated that
in order for women to succeed in museums, they had to be so much more
intelligent than the men in the field that they shouldn't bother trying!  I
certainly found the response interesting!  I believe this letter was on
display in the traveling Smithsonian exhibit, "Daughters of the Desert" in
the late 1980s, but it should now be back in the university collection.  By
the way, Shepard did not continue her museum career, but went into research
on her own.

Good luck with your research.  I'm interested to see what you uncover.

Melanie Solomon
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BTW, I will be out-of-town for a while and will not be able to promptly
respond to any e-mail, should the need arise...


<I am interested in researching the contributions of women in
<the development of museums.  Alexander's _Museums in Motion_ is
<a solid overview of the history of museums but he doesn't mention women's
<contributions.
<
<I have done some preliminary investigation at my university but
<have not turned up any works specifically devoted to this
<topic.
<
<Could you all recommend other sources of information?
<
<Thank you.
<Stacey Howe
<[log in to unmask]>