Nell Irvin Painter, the Edwards Professor of American History, Emerita, at Princeton University, has received the Tony Horwitz Price from the Society of American Historians at Columbia University in New York City. The award honors distinguished work in American history of wide appeal and enduring public significance.
Throughout her career, Professor Painter has authored nine books, including The History of White People (W.W. Norton & Company, 2010), Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over (Counterpoint, 2018), and I Just Keep Talking: A Life in Essays (Doubleday, 2024). She is currently working on a new book about Sojourner Truth, entitled Sojourner Truth Was a New Yorker, and She Didn’t Say That.Â
As an interdisciplinary scholar, Professor Painter has taught courses in American history, African American history, and the social construction of gender, race, and personal beauty. She previously led Princeton’s African American studies program from 1997 to 2000.
Professor Painter holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, a master’s degree in African history from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in American history from Harvard University. Later in life, she earned degrees in painting from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Professor Painter has also received numerous honorary doctorates from institutions such as Yale University, Wesleyan University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Dartmouth College.