Erin Wilson

Erin Wilson is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the RASC/a: Rhetorics of Art, Space and Culture program focusing on French 18th-century portraiture, with an expanded interest in textile making and materiality. In 2024, Wilson published “Drafting an image of success: the Russian patronage of émigré Elisabeth Louise Vigée Lebrun” as part of a special issue of Renaissance Studies. Designated by the journal as a top-viewed paper, this essay addresses the artist’s experiences in Saint Petersburg, Russia between 1795 and 1801. In 2025, the MFAH's Hirsch Library and the University of Houston’s School of Art recognized Wilson as an emerging scholar of excellence. Prior to attending SMU, she served as Associate Curator at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, FL, developing and executing numerous exhibitions and collection management projects.