The Society of Architectural Historians is pleased to name Ryan Mitchell, doctoral candidate in the Art History program at Temple University's Tyler School of Art and Architecture, as the 2025 recipient of the Charles E. Peterson Fellowship.
The fellowship, a joint program of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia and SAH, supports the participation of a graduate student in the research and writing of content for a volume of the Buildings of the United States (BUS) or SAH Archipedia.
Mitchell's research explores the development of Orientalist architectural styles in the United States, specifically those that claim affinity with vernacular of Islamic architectural history from the early half of the nineteenth century. While applications of Orientalism in France and Britain are more frequently analyzed, "American Orientalism" as a unique phenomenon remains understudied, especially before 1860, he wrote in his fellowship application.
He will study the works of several notable American architects, including Samuel Sloan (1815-1884), Alexander J. Davis (1803-1892), and Leopold Eidlitz (1823-1908), among others. He writes:
"While relatively few buildings rendered in an Orientalist style from before 1860 remain standing, several unrealized designs, visual documentation primarily in printed media (engravings, lithographs, design treatises, newspapers) will guide my investigation... Several extant buildings from this period will be analyzed, for which I will draft or supplement Archipedia entries. Target sites include the Farmers and Exchange Bank in Charleston, South Carolina, and Longwood in Natchez, Mississippi, left unfinished in spring 1861."
In addition to SAH, Mitchell is a member of the Historians of Islamic Art Association (HIAA) and the Temple University Graduate Students' Association. He holds a Bachelor's degree in History of Art and English Literature from Ohio State University. He hopes to build a career in cultural heritage preservation, and wishes to use his work to the protect and restore Ottoman architecture across the Eastern Mediterranean.
