Congratulations to art history major Sophia Jactel (B.A. ’20) for winning the Sidney Thomas Prize for the best art history paper written by an undergraduate student. Sophia’s paper “Domesticity and Diversions: Josef Israëls’ The Smoker as a Symbol of Peasant Culture and the Role of the Home in Nineteenth-Century Holland” was based on Israëls’ print in the collections of the Syracuse University Art Galleries. In addition to writing this research paper, Sophia also joined her fellow senior art history majors last Fall, to co-curate an exhibition, Domesticities: The Art of Daily Life, under the supervision of professor Sally Cornelison. Sophia’s research on Israëls contributed to the exhibition.

Sophia is delighted to receive the award. “Winning the Sidney Thomas prize was an incredible honor, truly a highlight of my undergraduate experience. I appreciate the excellent mentorship I have received at the hands of Professor Cornelison to guide me in the research and writing of both the Sidney Thomas prize paper and my paper for distinction in Art History. Instruction from world-class professors and an incredible semester abroad in Florence have made my art history studies at Syracuse a thrilling adventure. Thank you to the entire department.”