Digging into the life and work of watercolorist Susan H. Bradley, Andrea Sluder West brings fresh attention to a largely forgotten talent. Using the archives at PAFA, she pieces together Bradley’s journey—from her training and exhibitions to her role as a mentor. The blog Meet Susan H. Bradley, Trailblazing Watercolor Artist doesn’t just celebrate Bradley’s art; it shows how institutional archives like PAFA’s can help recover the stories of women artists who shaped American art but were left out of its mainstream narrative.
Ever wonder how old papers and photos from the past end up online for everyone to see? That’s where Sharon and Zoe come in! They work behind the scenes in the archives, carefully handling historical records—some are so old they’re falling apart. First, they gently clean and flatten each item, then use a special camera to take clear pictures. It’s slow work, but it helps protect these pieces of history and makes them easier to share with students, teachers, researchers, and general public.
Once the pictures are taken, Sharon and Zoe organize everything so people can find what they’re looking for. They add helpful notes like names, dates, and places, and double-check that everything is easy to read. Thanks to their hard work, patrons from all over the world can explore history without ever visiting the archives in person. The photos below show Sharon and Zoe in action—digitizing, organizing, and preserving history one page at a time!
Sharon carefully preparing a fragile volume for photography. Before anything gets digitized, Sharon makes sure the page is properly angled to be photographed, ensuring the book is not being damaged. Some materialsare so old they need extra care!
Zoe using a camera setup to digitize historical records. Zoe takes high-quality images of each page so they can be shared online. It’s a slow process, but it helps preserve history for everyone.
