When you first walk into the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, you might take for granted how the unique pieces hailing from Greece, Italy, France, and Egypt ended up in the quaint town of South Hadley. The vast educational collection is in large part due to the determinism, hard work and effort of the following pioneering women, named in chronological order of their contributions: Louise Fitz Randolph, Caroline Ransom, Caroline M. Galt and Caroline Hill. These women’s bountiful contributions range from statuettes, colorful scarabs, sketches, and even letter correspondences, which shed light on the deep and personal interest they took in energizing the college’s collection. In the process of infusing the varied selection with noteworthy pieces still admired to this day, these women brought areas of study to life and consequently made a footprint in the college.
Furthermore, by establishing a hands-on approach to education, they inspired future educators to similarly rely on objects to teach their classes in a more engaged fashion. Not only did these women transform teaching methods across disciplines, Mount Holyoke has recognized their lasting legacy and has paid homage in a myriad of ways; from the Hill Gallery today, honoring Caroline Hill and her generous donations, to the Galt Memorial Exhibition of Ancient Art, held in 1941 to recognize and celebrate Caroline M. Galt’s contributions to the Classics and Archaeology Department. We hope our visitors share our level of interest and enthusiasm for how these women strengthened the college’s collection. Following our thorough research, we encourage our visitors to investigate the compelling lives of the individuals who have made it their mission to uphold Mount Holyoke’s reputation.
Louise Fitz Randolph
Caroline Ransom Williams
Caroline Galt
Caroline Hill
