Smithsonian Journeys Experts

Heidi Applegate is an independent art historian who specializes in 19th-century art, world’s fairs, and the history of museums. She has given numerous lectures for the Smithsonian Associates, including the ongoing series, “Art and Fiction,” in which she analyzes historical novels that are inspired by artists and their work. She has also presented lecture series on American art, Western art, women in art, and “Unusual Figures in Western Paintings.” Heidi has held several positions at the National Gallery of Art, most recently as a contract lecturer, presenting over 300 gallery talks and programs on a wide range of topics relating to the permanent collection and special exhibitions, beginning with Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting in 2017. Her teaching experience includes undergraduate courses for Lewis & Clark College, George Mason University, and Columbia University. She has published essays in catalogs for the centennial exhibition of the 1915 San Francisco World's Fair, and for exhibitions on a number of Hudson River School artists. Heidi has a Ph.D. in art history from Columbia University, an M.A. in art history from the University of Maryland, and a bachelor’s degree in Russian Literature from Haverford College. She has traveled widely in Europe and throughout the former Soviet Union, and she has biked in every U.S. state.