Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

The prints are illustrative of significant moments in the history of Michigan from pre-history to World War II.

Photographs, contact prints, and glass negatives collected by Mrs. Robert Jensen.

The collection consists of photographs, contact prints, and glass negatives relating to miscellaneous topics, including ice cutting and storage at Mackinaw City, Michigan, and logging and other activities at or near Harbor Springs and Haring, Michigan. There are also some photographs of railroads, ships, and a lighthouse.

Photographer from Comins, Michigan. Consists of postcard views of Comins, Michigan, as well as photos of farming, lumbering, and related activities.

The collection consists of postcard views of Comins, Michigan, as well as photos of farming, lumbering, and related activities.

Timekeeper for the construction of the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel. The collection is comprised of photographs and photographic postcards featuring pictures taken by Wells of the various stages of construction of the tunnel, which opened in 1910 and allowed for a more efficient method of transporting rail cars between Detroit and Windsor.

The Leonard W. Wells photograph collection consists primarily of photographs of various sizes, separated into four series: Approach to Tunnel; Construction Sites and Workers; River Construction; and Other Photographs. These divisions are meant to indicate the content of scenes found in the collection. The collection also contains photographic postcards, all of which are located in the Construction Sites and Workers series or the Other Photographs series. Most of the images depict various views along the railway path, stages of the tunnel's construction, or groups of construction workers. One photograph features the first sinking of a tunnel tube section on October 1, 1907. Although the majority of images show the construction of the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel, the locations found in other images may be outside of Detroit or Windsor. The Biographical series contains additional information about the life of Leonard W. Wells.

Postcard views relating to the lumber mill in South Boardman, Michigan, and to logging activities near Fife Lake, Michigan.

The collection consists of postcard views relating to the lumber mill in South Boardman, Michigan, and to logging activities near Fife Lake, Michigan.

The Grace A. Fry photograph collection contains photographs primarily of Saginaw, Michigan businesses.

Battle Creek, Michigan, resident; glass negatives of houses and house interiors, of children, women, boating scenes, and a railroad car, possibly taken in the Battle Creek, Michigan area.

The collection is arranged into a single series of glass negative with two subseries for different sizes (4"x5" and5"x8"). The negatives are unidentified, but they are probably of a Battle Creek area family or families, perhaps the family of Burns's wife, Betty Hoyt.

J. Cummer & Son was a Cadillac, Michigan, lumber manufacturing company. Consists of views (by B. D. Jackson) of Cadillac and of the different Cummer business enterprises: J. Cummer & Son, lumber manufacturers, Cummer Lumber Co., lumber manufacturers, Cummer & Gerrish, planing mill, and Wellington W. Cummer, saw mill.

The collection consists of views (by B. D. Jackson) of Cadillac and of the different Cummer business enterprises: J. Cummer & Son, lumber manufacturers, Cummer Lumber Co., lumber manufacturers, Cummer & Gerrish, planing mill, and Wellington W. Cummer, saw mill.

Organization of Michigan photographers; collected copyprints of historical images.

The collection consists of copyprints (with some negatives) of historical images collected by members of the Michigan Photographers Society. The photographs are arranged alphabetically by name of city where the collector lived. This is followed by descriptions of the images. The strength of the collection is for its visual documentation of various Michigan cities, including street scenes, businesses, private residences, views of ships, railroads, lumbering activities, and local customs.

O. W. Stone was a Pentwater, Michigan, photographer. Includes photos of the Sault Sainte Marie Canal as well as Pentwater, Michigan, business enterprises and shipping.

The collection includes photos of Pentwater, Michigan, focusing on business enterprises and shipping. Also included are photos of the Sault Sainte Marie Canal.

E. S. Conrad was a Reed City, Michigan, photographer. Consists of photographs relating to the activities, people, and buildings of a nearby lumbering camp.

The collection consists of photographs relating to the activities, people, and buildings of a nearby lumbering camp.

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.

Escanaba, Michigan, newspaperman. Subject files (including collected materials) relating to his research interest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, notably in the area of Cedar River, Escanaba, and Menominee; include manuscript of writings, subject files, and photographs.

The papers of Jean Worth consists largely of collected material relating to his research interest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The collection has been divided into the following series: Cedar River; Escanaba; Menominee; and Upper Peninsula -General.

The Michigan Historical Collections Topical Photograph Collection offer a broad and varied glimpse into nearly one hundred years of Michigan history, from the 1860s into the 1950s. The provenance of most of the photographs has been lost and therefore these images have been grouped together by subject into an artificial accumulation. Subjects depicted range from industry and transportation to clothing styles and social customs.

The photographs in this collection were received from various sources. Subjects include carriages, automobiles, Great Lakes shipping, railroads, and mass transit, especially street railroads. There are also images documenting activities within the mining, forestry, and lumber industries, mostly in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Also included are photographs of various ethnic groups and their societies, notably of Native Americans (1870s-1930s) of the Manistee and Ludington, Michigan, areas. Some of the images are street views and private residences in various Michigan towns and cities. Of interest are photographs of Michigan units taking part in the Spanish-American War and the "Polar Bear Expedition" of World War I. There is also a series of bookplates, [acquired from?] William H. Bicknell, many of which relate to the University of Michigan.

Upper-class Michigan family in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with various business interests including lumbering, mining, and land transactions in Montana, Michigan, California, West Virginia, and British Columbia. The family was also active in the development of the Orchard lake area, especially during in the 1920s through the 1940s. The collection contains both business and personal materials including correspondence, subject files, legal records, maps, blueprints, and photographs.

The Palmer Family papers document the activities of an upper-class family in nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century Michigan. The strength of the collection is its documentation of the growth of early business in Michigan. The Charles Henry Palmer (Senior) series contains the bulk of this information, with papers documenting his activities as an investor in mining and railroads in Michigan's Upper Peninsula from the 1850s through the 1880s. The balance of the collection contains both business and personal materials documenting the lives of various Palmer family members. Materials include correspondence, legal materials, business records, photographs, diaries and journals, and newspaper clippings.

Research papers, 1967-1979, of students in journalism at the University of Michigan; contain essays relating to the history of Michigan newspapers and journalists, and the development of radio and television broadcasting; include papers concerning newspapers in Adrian, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Grand Rapids, and the journalistic efforts of Father Charles Coughlin, Henry Ford, and Gerald L. K. Smith.

The Department of Journalism research papers collection measures 2 linear feet and consists solely of student research papers written between 1967 and 1979. The papers contain essays written regarding the history of various newspapers -- many in Michigan cities such as Adrian, Ann Arbor, Detroit and Grand Rapids; journalists and the journalistic efforts of individuals such as Father Charles Coughlin, Henry Ford, and Gerald L.K. Smith; and the development of radio and television broadcasting.

The surviving administrative records of the Department of Journalism were retained by its successor unit, the Department of Communication, and can be found in that department's records.

Historian of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad; color slides documenting the C&O Railroad in Michigan, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.

The Huddleston photographic slide collection consists of images primarily documenting the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The color slides have been arranged in alphabetical order by geographical location. Huddleston provided identification on each slide. The images are of trains, train stations, train trestles, railroad yards, etc.

Sam Breck was an Ann Arbor, Mich., photographer. The collection consists of color slides of railroad depots and other railroad scenes, chiefly in Michigan but including scenes in other states; slides, photographs and negatives of Ann Arbor and University of Michigan buildings, views, and events; photographs and negatives of Michigan Youth Symphony.

The Sam Breck photograph collection consists of color slides of railroad depots and other railroad scenes, chiefly in Michigan but including scenes in other states; slides, photographs and negatives of Ann Arbor and University of Michigan buildings, views, and events; photographs and negatives of Michigan Youth Symphony. The collection is divided into four series, based on format: Slides, Prints, Negatives, and Contact sheets, along with a small Other series.

Ed Beach was an amateur photographer whose photographs document his hometown of Howell, Michigan and historical sites in other Michigan communities. His collection consists of photographic negatives (with some prints) and albums with prints of historic plaques and markers, statues of famous statesmen and their gravesites, early school buildings, historic houses, gristmills, sawmills, and county courthouses.

The Ed Beach collection consists of photographic negatives (with some prints) and albums with prints of historic plaques and markers, statues of famous statesmen and their gravesites, early school buildings, historic houses, gristmills, sawmills, and county courthouses. Other subjects include tourist sites in Michigan (such as Greenfield Village or Mackinac Island) and state parks, especially those in the Upper Peninsula. His hometown of Howell, Michigan is also heavily documented.

The Beach collection is arranged into three series. In the Kodak series the negatives measure 2 3/4 by 4 1/2 inches in size and cover the years 1931 to 1948. The Leica series consists of 35-millimeter strips and were taken between the years 1936 and 1938. The third series consists of seven albums of carefully identified photographs.

An item-level listing of the contents of the Kodak and Leica series is available at the library. To aid researchers a geographic and subject index has been created and is attached to this finding aid. These indices provide the best introduction to the collection.

Beach created the photograph albums around broad topics, and each has a title. The albums include: "Michigan Historic Places," "Around Lake Erie in Ontario. Trip to Chicago Century of Progress," "Michigan Courthouses," "Michigan Ships, Monuments, Historic Places, Buildings, Creek Scenes," "Indian and Trail Markers," "Around Michigan: Historic Places, Buildings, Mills, Dams, Bridges, Masonic Buildings," and "Michigan Governors' Homes, Michigan Trees, Old Buildings of Michigan." The photos in the albums include Beach's negative number.

Student papers, 1930-1987 prepared for classes in history at the University of Michigan (primarily Michigan history class taught by Lewis G. VanderVelde, but also including research papers for classes taught by Sidney Fine and others); topics concern Michigan social and political history; Michigan biography and bibliography; and local community history.

The student papers are organized alphabetically by author in two series, which are similar in date range and topics covered. Topics of papers concern Michigan social and political history; Michigan biography and bibliography; local community history and University of Michigan history. A topical index to the papers is available in the first box of the collection.