Missouri S&T will host a presentation on four women whose work in the field of American Egyptology helped shape the modern study and presentation of ancient Egyptian history.

The presentation will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 20, on the second floor of the Curtis Laws Wilson Library on the Missouri S&T campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Kathleen Sheppard, professor of history and political science at Missouri S&T, will explore the work of Amelia Edwards, Kate Bradbury, Emma Andrews, and Caroline Ransom, and how they advanced the study of ancient Egypt and reshaped the landscape of American museums and public education.

“Their contributions laid the foundation for the rich cultural heritage we continue to appreciate in museums today, illustrating the enduring power and influence of women in the academic and scientific communities,” says Sheppard.

In 1890, Amelia Edwards and Kate Bradbury completed a lecture tour of the United States. As the Brooklyn Daily Eagle noted, their visit was “a powerful reminder of the potential for women in academia and science.” The newspaper praised Edwards for demonstrating that women could be “learned” and “winning,” and suggested that her work would serve as a model for both American men and women.

“It was clear that women in the arts, archaeology, and history had an important role to play in intellectual spaces traditionally dominated by men,” says Sheppard.

The impact of Edwards and Bradbury’s tour resonated with two other American women who would go on to make lasting contributions to the field of Egyptology: Emma Andrews and Caroline Ransom Williams. Inspired by the path paved by Edwards and Bradbury, both women played roles in curating and managing collections of ancient Egyptian artifacts, many of which would become part of the exhibits seen by tens of millions of museum visitors over the last 125 years.

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.