Mid-West Tool Collectors Association Curatorial Summer Internship 2006

George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon, VA

 

Mount Vernon, the home of George and Martha Washington, originally extended over eight thousand acres and was divided into five farms. The property remained in the Washington family until 1858, when it was purchased by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, a non-profit organization founded by Ann Pamela Cunningham in 1853 to “perpetuate the sacred memory of ‘the Father of his Country’” and to “preserve the relics at Mount Vernon.” The current historic site encompasses George Washington’s original Mansion House Farm and consists of 500 acres.

 

Today, Mount Vernon welcomes approximately 1 million visitors a year, and it is the responsibility of the Collections Department to ensure that the objects on view in the Mansion and outbuildings are historically accurate and preserved for these visitors. The Curatorial collection is built around the documented household and personal possessions of George and Martha Washington. The Association’s mission is to show the Mansion and outbuildings as they were furnished in 1799.  Through the generosity of the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association (MWTCA), Mount Vernon offers one summer internship to an individual interested in assisting with this preservation and accuracy mission.

 

The successful candidate for the MWTCA Curatorial Internship will assess the objects on display and their interpretative use in the Stables and Coach House. Located off the South Lane, the Stables and adjacent (reconstructed) Coach House played an important supporting role in the Washington household – male slaves worked here to care for the horses and equipage of the Washington family, as well as that of their many visitors.

 

The MWTCA Curatorial Intern will be responsible for developing a comprehensive interpretation and furnishing plan for the Stables and Coach House.  Using the Mount Vernon Library and Archives, the intern will be asked to examine the furnishings and tools utilized in these support structures, the people involved in completing the tasks that took place in the structures, and the interpretive history of the spaces.  During this process, the intern will examine the inventories taken after the deaths of George and Martha Washington, as well as the inventories of the Washingtons’ contemporaries, to determine what objects were most likely in the Stables and Coach House in 1799. The intern will then synthesize his/her research to determine which objects should be on display in these outbuildings in order to demonstrate historical accuracy.  Once those objects are determined, the intern will be asked to inventory and re-evaluate the current Stables and Coach House interpretations and determine a plan of action for items currently installed, pulling from storage any additional pieces deemed appropriate for the interpretation.  He/She will then construct a wish list of those objects not currently represented in the Mount Vernon collection, and this list (which may include both period and reproduction items) will be shared with the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association and Ladies Auxiliary.

 

Mount Vernon will use this valuable research to re-interpret the Stables and Coach House for the visiting public, and will make available the MWTCA Curatorial Intern’s research to Mount Vernon’s Education and Interpretive staff for inclusion in public programs and tours.

 

Compensation and Hours:

 

The MWTCA Curatorial Intern may be reimbursed for travel and research expenses up to $300, and will receive a $3,000 stipend for the 10 weeks of the internship period, payable on the Mount Vernon pay schedule.  The internship period will be determined based upon the candidate’s schedule with expected work hours of Monday-Friday from 9:00am-5:00pm during the selected 10 weeks.  Housing and daily transportation to/from Mount Vernon will be the responsibility of the successful candidate.  Mount Vernon is happy to work with the intern’s academic program to provide credit for the internship period. 

 

Qualifications:

 

The successful MWTCA Curatorial Intern candidate will possess an interest in museum or historic site management, museum collections, or material culture studies.  A graduate-level major in American History, American Studies, Museum Studies, Art History, or a related field is required.  A special interest in 18^th century Chesapeake social history/material culture is preferred, although not required.

 

How to Apply:

 

By March 17, 2006 please send letter of interest, resume, and the contact information for three references to:

 

            Gretchen Goodell

            Assistant Curator

            George Washington’s Mount Vernon

            P.O. Box 110

            Mount Vernon, VA 22121

            Fax: 703.799.8698

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            No phone calls please

 

All applicants will be notified of the success of his/her application by April 17, 2006.