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.

University of Michigan non-graduate student in the Department of Literature, Science and the Arts from 1891-1895. Consists of panoramic views of Ann Arbor, Mich. and the University of Michigan campus near East University and South University avenues.

The collection consists of panoramic views of Ann Arbor, Mich. and the University of Michigan campus near East University and South University avenues.

Student at the University of Michigan in 1891-1892. Photo album with photographs depicting the University of Michigan campus and the city of Ann Arbor.

Cyanotypes of University buildings and campus views; also Ann Arbor, Michigan street views, and canoeing, probably on the Huron River.

Ann Arbor, Michigan, physician, researcher and speaker on such topics as geriatrics, local history, and the use of herbs and plants in medical treatment. Correspondence, published and unpublished writings, speeches and talks, clippings, photographs, and other papers relating to his various interests.

The C. Howard Ross Collection covers the period from about 1955 to 1980, and is made up largely of material related to Dr. Ross' strongest interests: geriatrics and history. There is little in the collection dealing with his childhood, his years as a school teacher or his work in industry. The bulk of the material deals with his years as a doctor and after his retirement from practice, and consists largely of reprints of published articles on geriatrics and history, especially local history, and of unpublished manuscripts chiefly about history and biography. There are some clippings concerning his activities as a physician and as a speaker on medical and other topics, primarily gardening, local history, and the use of herbs and plants in medicinal treatment.