American architect Arthur Rotch (1850–1894) became one of the first Americans to achieve honors at the celebrated École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. During the six years of his foreign studies, Rotch traveled widely to personally examine regional architectural ornament. While studying Islamic mosques in Egypt, he collaborated with Monsieur Arthur Rhoné, the well known French orientalist, on his work preserving historical Egyptian sites. Upon his return to the United States, Rotch began practicing architecture with George T. Tilden, as the firm of Rotch & Tilden. Yet he still remembered the value of foreign study to young architects and the dreariness of a draughtsman's career. Thus, according to library records, in 1883 he and his siblings founded the Rotch Traveling Scholarship, the provisions of which annually send a student of architecture abroad to study and travel for two years.
Aga Khan Documentation Center, Department of Distinctive Collections, MIT Libraries: 25451352