APPROVED: Unique project!

Book: Your book looks interesting

PROPOSAL REVIEWED BY: Rekha Hagen/Phoebe Qi

SENIOR PROJECT PROPOSAL

Submit in classroom before 11:59 pm on Friday, January 6, 2017
Please write all responses in blue

STUDENTS NAME: Diana Myers SECTION: 12-3

Seminar Class Monday ______ Thursday _____ Siu Parker

PROJECT TITLE: Eminent Women: An Exploration of 19th Century Photoshop

Two to four word summary of project: Studying early photographic manipulation

Title to list in presentation program: Eminent Women: An Exploration of 19th Century Photoshop

Traveling? No _____Yes (list dates and location)

Student address : 2216 Fitzwater St.

Zip Code: 19146

Student Phone Number: (cell / home): cell: 215-435-3523 home: 215-985-1688

Student E-mail: SDistrict: 69196205@philasd.org Alternate: diana.h.myers@gmail.com

Parent or Guardian Name : Lisa Myers (mother)

Parent or Guardian Daytime Phone Number: 267-975-6679

Parent or Guardian Email : dear.mrs.equitone@gmail.com

*Student Your electronic signature is confirmation that you agree with all components of the
proposal, that you have listed your proposed responsibilities for 60 hours, May 19 through June 2, and
and that you have developed and shared the entire proposal with your mentor.
Student Signature:
Diana Myers

*Parent or Guardian Your electronic signature is indication that you have read the parent letter and
agree to all components of the project proposal.
Parent or Guardian Signature: Lisa R. Myers
Pg 1

Mentor Agreement
All mentor information must be filled in accurately and completely, including signature!

Mentors Name: Cornelia King

Position/Title: Curator of Womens History

Agency Name: The Library Company of Philadelphia

Mentors email: cking@librarycompany.org

Mentors Telephone Number (Please check preferred contact number)

Preferred #? Number 215-546-3181 Best times to call 9:00-4:45

_____ (cell)

(work)

Agency Address: 1314 Locust St.

City: Philadelphia State: PA Zip: 19107

Mentor, please initial each item and sign below to indicate your agreement to work directly with the student
from May 19 to June 2, 2017. Failure to complete the senior project may prevent the student from
graduating.

__ck__ I have received a copy of and read the proposal and mentor letter. I agree with terms described
in the attached narrative. (Items 1 through 7 attached: Project summary, service requirement, timeline [60
hours] and presentation plans).

__ck__ I agree to directly supervise the student throughout the project, May 19 through June 2, 2017.

__ck__ I agree to provide a completed mentor evaluation (10 questions) to the student by
Friday, June 2, 2017.

__ck__ I agree to contact Masterman's Enrichment department by e-mail or phone if any concerns
about the student or my availability to serve in this role arise before or during the project.
Nabeehah Parker, Senior Project Coordinator 215-299-4661 option 7 nparker@philasd.org
*I have read the proposal of Diana Myers to complete a School District of Philadelphia senior project. I
agree to the project summary, service activity, presentation plan, proposed timeline, and the four items listed
on this mentor agreement page. I have also provided a copy of this page with my written signature.

Mentors Signature: Date:

Cornelia S. King January 3, 2017
pg 2

PROJECT TITLE: Eminent Women: An Exploration of 19th Century Photoshop

Answer below each question in 3 to 5 sentences.

1. Project Focus
What is the purpose of your project? What is your goal? How will you be spending most of your time
at the project site? (5 to 10 sentences)
My project focuses on a cabinet card (or photograph) created in the 19th century that shows 12 famous
American women in a group pose-- except these women never actually sat down together. This card, known
by its caption Eminent Women, was faked. For my project, I will be researching each womans life and
writing capsule biographies to be included in an online exhibit for the photograph. I will also investigate
early photographic history and manipulation in order to write an essay about these topics to be included
online alongside my capsule biographies. All of this will take place at The Library Company of Philadelphia
(LCP), who owns the card. My goals for this project are to successfully complete the work LCP has asked
me to do, and also to learn more about how this research institution works and what kinds of careers are
available in the historical research field. Most of my time at LCP will be spent researching by making use of
their extensive collection and writing, two activities I love. I also hope to find some time to speak to my
mentor and her colleagues about their careers and what is necessary these days to be able to work in archives
or libraries similar to LCP.

2. Project Rationale
Why did you choose to explore this topic? (2 to 3 sentences)
I plan to study history in college, and Im interested in careers that would allow me to learn more about a
subject I love and to continue to use the analytical and writing skills Ill learn with my degree. I figured that
interning in a library or archive would give me a pretty good idea of how people with similar degrees get to
use them in their professional lives. I also just absolutely love handling old papers and objects, and LCP was
willing to let me study one photo in depth, which was very exciting.

3. Academic and Personal Growth

What will you learn during your project? (5 to 10 sentences)
Be specific. Explain topics, skills, career exploration, etc.
How will the project help you stretch professionally, personally and cognitively? What academic skills and
knowledge will the project draw on and develop? What experience do you have in this area? How will you
grow to a higher level of competency or focus in a new direction?
This project combines history, research, writing, and curation. I expect to grow in my abilities in all four.
Although I have studied history and writing throughout my school years, this project focuses on a historical
topic I know very little about, and the writing required is very different from the essays I tend to write for
class. This kind of writing is much more professional, and has a focus on accessibility for museum visitors
rather than an opportunity to show off my research skills. I am quite used to research online but Ive only
gone to archives such as LCP a couple of times and thus I dont yet have a full understanding of how these
kinds of institutions function or how researchers can best make use of them. I have essentially no experience
or knowledge of museum curation, but this project will give me a little peek into that kind of work. By
completing this project, I will further develop my historical research and writing skills, which will likely give
me a leg up in college. I will also learn more about academic research institutions and career possibilities,
which will be very useful four years down the road when I am trying to find employment that makes use of
my future degree. In addition, this experience will allow me to meet people at LCP who I can use as contacts
for further opportunities in research/curatorial fields.

4. Your Agency and Mentor

Explain the focus of your agency, and describe your mentors area of expertise. What help or guidance
do you expect to get from your mentor? We recommend that mentors have five or more years of
professional experience in the area being explored. Parents may not be mentors.
(3 to 5 sentences)
LCP is one of the oldest historical research libraries in the country and has a variety of materials relating to
American history up through the very early part of the 20th century. My mentor, Cornelia King, is a curator
there specializing in womens history, which is extremely cool to me because I am very interested in
studying and working with womens stories in my career. I expect that Ms. King will help me to understand
the kind of curatorial work LCP does (they mount small exhibits in their lobby and online) and to show me
how researchers use the collection to further my own project there. I also expect that through working
closely with her I will have the chance to pick her brain about how best to use my interests and future
degree(s) to find a sustainable and fulfilling career in historical work.

5. Service
5a. What is your service component?
What will be your role in providing the service? Who are the individuals or community members that will
benefit from your service? How will they benefit? (3 to 5 sentences)
As part of my project, I will be writing biographical descriptions for figures in an old photograph to be
included in an online museum exhibit. In addition, I will write a short essay on 19th century photographic
manipulation. Because these materials will eventually be available to the public over the internet, anyone
may access and learn from them. While historical oddities are interesting and useful for knowledges own
sake, the information I help to provide will also be of use to students and other researchers investigating
these same topics. Since I am the person creating the content, I will ultimately have the most control over
how the information will most be of service to others. I also will be writing a post about my project for the
LCPs blog so that others will be able to understand the kind of work LCP does.

5b. Will your service be conducted at your primary project site?

Yes

___ No ___ If no, you must also complete the Offsite Service Agreement (See Classroom)

6. Presentation (10 minutes for T, W, Th / 15 min on Fri)

6a. Presentation Format

Explain what aspects of your project you hope to highlight in your presentation. (2 to 3 sentences)
I want to explain the kind of research that is possible at LCP and then show the audience the old photograph
I was specifically working on. I want to explain what the photograph shows and how it was manufactured. I
plan to also touch on some of the dilemmas historians face when they work with altered materials and older
object analyses.
6b. In addition to a PowerPoint, what components will you use to engage the audience?

_____ Video (No longer than 2 minutes)

_____ Demonstration

Audience participation

Samples of work

_____ Simulation

Other: Its possible that with my research I will be able to do a small demonstration of how 19th
century photoshop worked but I havent actually done the research yet or know enough about the topic
right now, so I wouldnt count on it.

6c. Photo Clearances

List all clearances / permission slips that you will need for taking pictures or videos of children, agency
participants, etc. Discuss with your mentor!

Photo clearances needed

Yes _______ No

If yes, who will provide photo clearance documents?

LCP has a researcher photography agreement that they require I sign before using any of their materials as
part of my presentation or in the work I do for them. Its a simple form that requires I give LCP full
attribution before showing any of their material. Ive already signed it and they have it on file. No other
photo clearances are needed.

If yes, how and when will clearance documents be distributed for parent signatures?
N/A

6d. Auditorium Presentations

Would you like to present your presentation to the whole class in the auditorium on Friday, June 2?

______ Yes No ______ Maybe

7. Timeline

7a. Pre-Project requirements (For primary project site and / or offsite service)
Is there an orientation/training that you must attend? ______ Yes No
If yes, what is the date of your orientation?

Is there an agency application that must be completed? ______ Yes No

Are there agency clearances that you must obtain? If so, explain your plan and timeline for obtaining.
none
_____ Child Abuse
_____ Criminal
_____ FBI
_____ Other (list):
Are there any health documents or tests required? No
If so, explain your plan and timeline for obtaining.
_____ Immunizations (list):
_____ TB test
_____ Physical Exam
(Any clearances should be obtained as soon as possible. Results can often be delayed.)

Is there a uniform required for volunteers at your agency that you must acquire in advance? If yes who will
provide?
_____Yes No

What other preparation is required before May 19?

(e.g. meetings, script writing, lesson plans, travel arrangements, etc.)
I met with my mentor in late December to confirm that this project would work for both of us and since
everything seemed to go very well I doubt well need to meet again prior to the start of the project. My
mentor also said that any kind of orientation or instructions I need will be given over email in the weeks
before May 19th or on the day itself.

7b. Time planning sheet

Describe how you will spend the 10 days implementing your project. Outline the proposed time
commitments for 60 hours. If your mentor is providing a menu of various activities, you may list them as a
single block. List no more than 6 hours for planning.
Specifically:
-Where will you be?
-What are your proposed hours each day? (time of arrival, time of departure)
-How will you be engaged each day?
(Include a menu of possible activities if you are not 100% sure of each days specific activities.)

PROPOSED TIMELINE FOR MAY 19 THROUGH JUNE 2

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date Time Hrs Brief Description of Activity and Location
Example
Thurs., May 23 9 am to 3 pm 6 Will Shadow Mentor to Observe Trials at Juvenile Court
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fri, May 19 9am to 3pm* 6 Orientation/write capsule biographies of 3/12 women in the
photograph**

Mon, May 22 9am to 3pm 6 Write capsule biographies of 3/12 women in the photograph

Tues, May 23 9am to 3pm 6 Write capsule biographies of 3/12 women in the photograph

Wed, May 24 9am to 3pm 6 Write capsule biographies of 3/12 women in the photograph

Thurs, May 25 9am to 3pm 6 Begin research on the early days of photography
Fri, May 26 9am to 3pm 6 Research on the early days of photography
Mon, May 29 MEMORIAL DAY

Tues, May 30 9am to 3pm 6 Write essay for LCP website about manipulation of
photographic images

Wed, May 31 9am to 3pm 6 Write essay for LCP website about manipulation of
photographic images

Thurs, June 1 9am to 3pm 6 Write essay for LCP website about manipulation of
photographic images

Fri, June 2 9am to 3pm 6 Write entry for LCP blog about my project and my time
researching there

Alternate days (list) N/A

* This will include a half hour break for lunch, since my mentor explained that she legally cant have me
working straight for 6 hours, but I assume that Masterman expected that anyway
** My entire project will be completed at LCP

TOTAL # HRS 60

8. Book Selection
Please note Your selection may not be a HOW TO book. It should provide a more holistic view of
the issues surrounding your project.

What is the book you have chosen to read prior to doing your project?

Title: Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop

Author: Mia Fineman

ISBN: 978-0300185010

Brief Description (3 to 5 sentences)

This book, as published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a comprehensive guide to early photographic
manipulation. It is extensively researched and includes several faked historical images for the reader to see
and understand the various techniques manipulators used. It also discusses the reactions people had to early
manipulated photos as part of a larger historical investigation into how people use and comprehend media.

How does this book relate to your project? (2 to 3 sentences)

My mentor suggested I read this book, as the photograph I will be studying was part of this tradition of early
photographic manipulation. By reading Faking It, I will have a better understanding of the techniques used
for image manipulation and some of the historical and social questions that arise around faked photos. This
will be especially useful for the part of my project where I will be writing an essay about the manipulation of
photographic images.