Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

University of Michigan staff photographer, 1913-1947 and commercial photographer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Collection includes some manuscript material but is primarily photographic prints and negatives made by Swain. Photo subjects include university buildings, faculty, and student activities, archeological expeditions to the Near East and, Ann Arbor scenes and landscapes form his travels in the western United States and Canada.

The papers and photographs of George R. Swain mainly document Swain's accomplishments as university photographer at the University of Michigan from 1913 to 1947. Researchers should note, however, that this is only a sampling of the photographer's work during these years. The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan has an extensive collection of Swain's archaeological negatives and prints, and researchers interested in his full career will want to also look at the Kelsey collection. The Bentley Library material, while including several folders of fine photographs Swain made on his travels with Professor Frances Kelsey, for the most part documents Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan.

The collection at the Bentley Library consists of three series: Miscellaneous Papers; Photographers Log; and Photographs (prints; negatives; and lantern slides. Since the bulk of the collection is comprised of early twentieth century images of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, the materials will be of most interest to researchers searching for visual documentation of this part of the state in that time period. There are very few materials beyond the visual, although the lengthy captions attached to many overseas images and the essays, diaries, and letters, are extremely interesting and offer insight into how Swain approached his craft, both as a professional photographer and in his personal work.

Ann Arbor, Michigan photographer. Photographic images taken to accompany articles in the Ann Arbor Observer. Images include Ann Arbor businesses, buildings, neighborhoods, parks, landmarks; also photos of local personalities, politicians, business people, and University of Michigan faculty and staff members.

The Peter Yates collection is made up of approximately 5200 negative strips, or 26,000 images, of photographs taken for the Ann Arbor Observer between 1978 and 1990. The collection documents both the ordinary and the eccentric in Ann Arbor, as photographs of politicians, professors and business people are interspersed with images of local "characters" and unusual events. Neighborhoods, parks and buildings are also represented in the collection. The negatives are stored in chronological order, according to the date of the issue in which they appeared.

The index is arranged in alphabetical order by subject, and each entry includes the date of the Observer issue in which the photograph was published. The index is not comprehensive, but provides access to photographs of notable people, institutions and trends in Ann Arbor. For example, not every restaurant review photograph has been indexed, but "institutions" such as the Fleetwood Diner and the Gandy Dancer do appear on the list.

For further subject access to the Ann Arbor Observer, please consult the Index to the Michigan Alumnus, LSA Magazine and Ann Arbor Observer in the Bentley Library reading room.

Professor of architectural history at the University of Michigan. Correspondence, topical files, college term papers written by Eaton, papers written by Eaton students (mainly concerning the architecture of Michigan buildings), and photographs; subjects include seventeenth century Dutch architecture, the Chicago school of architecture, and the career of Frank Lloyd Wright. Also included is Eaton's research file on the Palmer-Ryan House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Ann Arbor. The collection contains extensive correspondence with architect William Gray Purcell

The Leonard K. Eaton papers document his career as a professor of architectural history at the University of Michigan and reflect his interest in seventeenth-century Dutch architecture and the Chicago school of architecture. The papers cover the years 1950-1988 and reflect Eaton's activities as architectural historian, student advisor, author, and participant in architectural professional groups.

The Eaton papers have come to the library in three accessions. The first in 1988 came from Mr. Eaton; the second in 1996 consisted of materials that he had donated to the University of Michigan Art and Architecture Library and which they subsequently transferred to the Bentley Library. The third accession contained some topical files and material related to the Palmer House in Ann Arbor. The first accession has been retained in its original order and consists of five series: Correspondence, Topical Files, College Term Papers written by Leonard Eaton, Student Papers written by Eaton Students, and Photographs

The Correspondence series is arranged alphabetically and consists mainly of outgoing letters. Of special interest is the exchange of letters with Lewis Mumford dating from the late 1950s. Topical Files consists of notes and drafts of Eaton's published articles, which have been arranged by title. Also included in this series are articles relating to the landscape architect Jens Jensen as well as notes and published writings from the 2004 accession. College Term Papers written by Eaton series is arranged alphabetically. Mainly undated, these papers reflect Eaton's interest in literature, art and political theory. Student papers written by Eaton students series focuses on Michigan buildings and architecture. The Photographs series includes photographs used in his research on Dutch architecture and a Flint, Michigan, public housing project.

Professor of architecture at the University of Michigan. The series in the collection are: Architectural Research, 1932-1983; College of Architecture and Urban Planning, 1967-1985; Correspondence, 1962-1972; Development Index, 1947-1984; and Published Materials, 1930-1982.

The papers of C. Theodore Larson measure 4.0 linear feet and date from 1930 to 1985. The bulk of materials, however, are from 1951 to 1974. The papers contain five series: Architectural Research; College of Architecture and Urban Planning; Correspondence; Development index and Published materials.

Architect, professor of architecture at the University of Michigan. Biographical information; subject files relating to his professional activities, his involvement with the International Congress for Modern Architecture, his interest in architectural education, and his own design work; photographs and architectural drawings. The collection includes correspondence exchanged with Buckminster Fuller and Walter Gropius. There is also a letter from Lewis Mumford.

The Walter Sanders collection consists of architectural drawings and photographs, correspondence, and subject files dating from the mid-1930s to his death in 1972. The collection begins with a folder of biographical material followed by a series of folders arranged alphabetically by topic or type of material. Judging by the fullness of his career, it is apparent that these materials represent but a fragment of the documents created and accumulated by Walter Sanders during his professional lifetime. The materials extant in this collection provide a sampling of Sanders' designs, his architectural philosophy, his professional associations, and his teaching career.

The richest portions of the collection include those files of correspondence with other architects and his association with CIAM (the Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne) or the International Congress for Modern Architecture. Some of Sanders' correspondents include Buckminster Fuller, Walter Gropius, and Lewis Mumford. There are few materials in this collection relating to Sanders' own designs. Except for photographs and drawings of his Ann Arbor residence, the most interesting drawings are for the Pencil Point Home Competition (undated) and for the Chile Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Course and class material is also limited though something of Sanders' views on architecture will be found in the "Talks" folder.

Professor of botany at the University of Michigan. Correspondence and subject files relating to his professional activities, notably his specialization in mycology; and photographs.

The Frederick K. Sparrow Collection has been organized alphabetically by topic. Correspondence is filed under the letter "C" and is in chronological order. In the biographical folder, the researcher will find a summary of the disposition of Dr. Sparrow's botanical effects, listings of his personal mycological library and his holdings of rare mycological books and publications, and a detailed bibliography of his works.

Dr. Sparrow corresponded with friends, mentors, and fellow mycologists and botanists from around the world on a variety of topics. His correspondence comprises over one-half of the collection. The researcher should note that letters dealing with the Second International Mycological Congress are included with the rest of the materials from the Congress.

Architect; professor of architecture at the University of Michigan. Client files, topical file, and miscellaneous presentation drawings.

The George Brigham collection consists of three linear feet and 10 oversize drawers of architectural drawings, photographs, correspondence, and subject files relating to his career as a practicing architect in southeastern Michigan (mainly Ann Arbor), but also including some materials when he was based in Pasadena, California.

The collection has been arranged into five series: Client Files; Client Drawings Files; Prefabrication Drawings Files; Miscellaneous Drawings Files; and Topical Files

The Client Files and the Topical Files have been placed together in the collection (boxes 1-3). The Client Drawings Files, the Prefabrication Drawings Files, and the Miscellaneous Drawings Files, consisting of oversized architectural materials, have been placed together in flat storage drawers.

The Client Files and the Client Drawings Files will be discussed here together as the distinction between them is primarily one of size rather than content. Each of these series is arranged alphabetically by the name of the client for whom Brigham either designed a structure (mainly private residences), additions to existing structures, or proposed a design for which the structure was never built. As a rule, the Client Files consist of photographs, specifications, smaller original drawings, correspondence, and other materials relating either to the project or to the client, while the Client Drawings Files, as the name states, consists of the original designs from conception to final revisions as given to the contractor. There is some mixing of materials between the two series with an occasional oversize photograph located in the Client Drawings Files and with some smaller-sized drawings located in the Client Files. The researcher should also note that while the lists of names for the two series are basically the same they are not identical. The disparities depend upon whether a structure was actually built or not and whether all of the materials have survived. As a group, these two series document Brigham's creative process from first contact with a client through to the construction phase. The series also documents the introduction of a new style of domestic architecture into the Ann Arbor community, particularly areas where the faculty of the University of Michigan resided such as Barton Hills.

The Prefabrication Drawings Files and the Miscellaneous Drawings Files are not client-based files and instead concern Brigham's design innovations in the area of low-cost, prefabricated structures. Unfortunately with the passage of time and the transfer of material about, the original order of these drawings has been lost. An attempt has been made to put the drawings into a subject arrangement but there are still many items imprecisely identified or fragments that were once part of a series of drawings. Some identification is of course possible with clearly defined units of material carrying such labels as 12 panel recreation shelter, a square folding portable shelter and plank wall construction. The largest grouping of drawings here is for Brigham's modular designs, which he called "Unit Built Structures." Perhaps the most significant portion of the Miscellaneous Drawings series relates to the Youtz Unit System of building on which Brigham worked during World War II.

The final series - Topical Files - contain a miscellanea of personal materials, speeches and articles, subject files on his general interest in architectural design. Of interest here in this series are several files relating to Brigham's work with Philip Youtz and his design work on the Youtz Unit House. As mentioned previously, there are also complementary drawings on the Youtz system.

Landscape architect, professor of landscape architecture at the University of Michigan. Files relating to various Michigan projects, notably in Ann Arbor, Hartland, Hillsdale, and Highland Park; subject files on professional activities; and photographs.

The papers of Harlow O. Whittemore have been divided into the following series: Projects; Topical Files; Family Papers; and Photographs.

Artist, art critic, director of the University of Michigan Art Museum. Scrapbooks with clippings of Ann Arbor News art reviews, scrapbook, 1905-1907, concerning University of Michigan student life, topical files relating to his interest in art and cultural organizations, original scripts of lectures and radio talks.

The Slusser papers document only portions of this artist/critic's life. The majority of the collection consists of scrapbooks containing his art review columns for the Ann Arbor News. These were written in the period of his retirement, 1963 to 1978. There is also one scrapbook from his years as a student at the University of Michigan, 1905-1907. The remainder of the collection consists of such personal materials as a diary he kept of a trip to Europe in 1909 when he went to study in Munich, a selection of some of his lectures and radio talks, and miscellaneous topical files relating to art and artists. Of interest is a series of letters written to his brother Herbert and letters received from artist William H. Littlefield.

Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan. Correspondence and other papers relating to his research in physics, and his interest in his family genealogy and his activities with the Sons of the American Revolution in Michigan.

The papers of Dr. Arthur Whitmore Smith consist of correspondence and other papers relating to his research in physics, and his interest in his family genealogy and his activities with the Sons of the American Revolution in Michigan. The papers are arranged in four series: Biographical Information, Genealogical Activities, Physics Research, and Photographs.