Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

The Emilie M. Bennett and Phoebe Baker Grand Tour diary chronicles a 1910 journey through England, Holland, Germany, Austria, and France.

The Emilie M. Bennett and Phoebe Baker Grand Tour diary chronicles a 1910 journey through England, Holland, Germany, Austria, and France. The diary, embossed with "My Trip Abroad" in gold on its cover, was presented to Emilie M. Bennett and Phoebe Baker by Margaret Burton on May 24, 1910, just prior to their Grand Tour of Europe. The volume contains supplemental information for overseas travelers, including color illustrations of semaphore and national flags, information on nautical terms and sailing, conversion charts for time and currency, a loose printed map of the world, and instructions on how to play shuffleboard, complete with a diagram. The authors added a list of hotels and of people they met during the trip. In the first entry, made on June 8-13, 1910, Emilie and Phoebe wrote about their experiences traveling to London on the Lusitania, and pasted in several printed illustrations. They wrote daily about social and sightseeing activities, including descriptions of scenery, hotels, and local food; the authors frequently visited art collections and attended musical and theatrical performances, and recorded general impressions of Europe. The two companions felt as if they "were really in a foreign land" from the time they were in London until they reached The Hague, Holland, and throughout the remainder of the trip to Germany, Austria, Hungary, and France. They returned to New York on the Oceanic in late September.

The William M. Muth collection contains diaries, photographs, and documents concerning Muth's experiences in Germany and the Netherlands in 1939 and his United States Navy service in the Pacific from 1942-1943.

The William M. Muth collection contains 2 diaries, 40 photographs, 2 envelopes of photographic negatives, and 4 documents concerning Muth's experiences in Germany and the Netherlands in 1939 and his United States Navy service in the Pacific from 1942-1943.

William M. Muth wrote 2 Diaries. The first (5" x 8") pertains to his life and travels in Europe from January 1, 1939-November 7, 1939, with daily entries covering January 1-February 5, March 19-May 14, and August 13-November 7. Muth described his life in Munich, Freiburg, and Heidelberg, Germany, and his visits to Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Italy. He wrote about his daily activities and social life and occasionally commented on anti-Semitism and increasing international tension. Muth reacted negatively to an anti-Semitic lecture and other propaganda (January 25, 1939), though he admired Adolf Hitler's oratory skills (January 30, 1939). By late August, the United States Consulate recommended that American citizens leave Germany, and Muth discussed his efforts to leave while noting reports of Polish armament and German militarization. On August 26, he traveled to Amsterdam. His entries from the first week of September reflect his efforts to return to the United States amidst the outbreak of war after Germany's invasion of Poland. He reacted negatively to perceived British exceptionalism and to Great Britain's declaration of war. After a brief return to Germany to gather belongings, Muth sailed for Baltimore on the SS Black Falkon on October 25. He arrived around November 7, the date of his final entry.

Muth's second diary (3" x 5") contains brief daily entries about his experiences on the USS Curtiss from January 6, 1942-August 2, 1943. He was stationed in Hawaii, New Caledonia, and Australia, and traveled to ports such as Pearl Harbor, Palmyra Atoll, Nouméa, Sydney, Perth, and Adelaide. In addition to noting his activities, such as flights and games of tennis, he occasionally commented on his wife and marriage.

The Photographs and Negatives series is made up of 38 snapshots and 2 larger photographs of United States sailors, soldiers, military buildings, and aircraft, taken between 1941 and 1944. Several portraits and one of the large group photographs are labeled. One picture shows a mock medal, the "Distinguished Skragging Cross." Many of the photographs were taken in Perth, Australia. The 2 envelopes of photographic negatives primarily depict uniformed military personnel.

Cablegrams and Ephemera include 2 cablegrams that William M. Muth sent to his wife and father on November 30, 1943, with his request that they stop sending mail. The series also has Muth's photographic identification card from the International Student Club in Munich, Germany (1938/1939), and his naval aviator certificate (September 1941), which is housed in a leather wallet. The final item is a certificate of gratitude for Muth's World War II service (July 15, 1946).