Lorie H. Aceto was interviewed by Pam Henson on June 28, 1996. Aceto was born in Weisbaden, Germany, and immigrated first to Canada in 1957 and then to the United States in 1958. She began her career at the Smithsonian in 1972 as a photographer in the Office of Printing and Photographing Services (OPPS) and is now the Deputy Director of that office. This interview discusses Aceto's developing interest in photography, her early career in Germany, her interaction with American troops after the end of World War II, her reasons for emigrating, her working and living experiences in Canada, her move to the United States, and her work with commercial photography. The interview also covers how Aceto came to work for the Smithsonian; her first day of work; her major accomplishment of building the color facility for the Smithsonian; colleagues Arthur Dauch, T. Ames Wheeler, Jim Murphy, Mike Centro, Dr. Paul Perrot, Dr. Walter Boyne, Dr. Paul Garber, Joe Goulait, John Jameson, and Jeff Tinsley; working in the NMAH and the Arts and Industries building; what the Smithsonian was like under the administration of Secretary Ripley; the experience of being a woman and working at the Smithsonian; exhibits Aceto has worked on; a description of a typical day; the various committees Aceto serves on; her work on the 150th anniversary of the Smithsonian, especially with Barbara Hart, Kevin Greene, Jeannette Stimpfel, Alan Fern, and Eloise Baden; are evaluation of her career; her perception of the problems that face the Smithsonian today; moving to the Museum Support Center; and the successes of her career, including the color facility, the Civic Program, and the America's Smithsonian exhibit.

Object Details

See more items in: Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews; Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews / Interviews

Collection Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9594, Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews