0.5 linear feet (approximately 600 slides)
Photographic slides used in classroom presentation on the history of Blacks in Michigan; slides with views of classrooms, schools, and city views used in various instructional programs; and miscellaneous slides showing activities at Cobblestone Farm, collected historical images of Ann Arbor streets and structures, the University of Michigan, and the Huron River.
1 linear foot
The Breakey papers includes personal and professional papers, files relating to his participation in different Masonic organizations, and photographs. Of special note is correspondence exchanged with U.S. Supreme Court Judge Tom C. Clark. There are also notes Breakey made concerning the visit of William Jennings Bryan to Ann Arbor. The photographs include portraits (photos and silhouette) of family members, including William F. Breakey; photos of homes, including the James A. Breakey farm near Cheney, (Crawford County) Michigan; photos of Ann Arbor and University of Michigan buildings; and photos of the Cleary College commencement in 1958.
1 volume
Cyanotypes of University buildings and campus views; also Ann Arbor, Michigan street views, and canoeing, probably on the Huron River.
1 volume — 2 paintings — 1 drawing
Sketchbook, 1855-1856 The original of the sketchbook is located in the library vault; the use copy (photocopies) is located in Aa/1 Cropsey. A master negative microfilm of the sketchbook is available for staff use only.
The Cropsey paintings include The University of Michigan campus, 1855 and The Detroit Observatory of the University of Michigan, 1855. Originals of both are on display in the library director's office. Digital files scanned from copy negatives are available online.
The Cropsey drawing is a pencil sketch of The University of Michigan campus, 1855.
0.3 linear feet
The Drake collection consists of manuscripts and photographs largely relating to the Quarry drugstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Of interest are photographs of Quarry Drugstore, University of Michigan campus and buildings, a 1908 football game, and the Huron River.
0.3 linear feet
Letters relating to student life, the Students' Army Training Corps, and officer training school.
Photo album documenting Herman's life as a student, including freshman-sophomore rush, the Huron River, campus buildings, football, baseball, track, the Bayonne Club, automobiles, and Block M.
0.5 linear feet — 155 negatives
The David LeFavour glass negatives collection documents a variety of activities, individuals, groups, and buildings in Ann Arbor and Bay City. As a member of the class of 1895, a year which was, coincidently, the first year of formal recognition for a Department of Engineering at the University of Michigan, LeFavour participated in an annual event for engineering students. A summer camp was set up outside the University to conduct field projects. The camp was periodically relocated and in 1895 a change was made from a grove on the outskirts of Leland, Michigan, at an outlet of Carp Lake (now Lake Leelanau), to a point further up the lake near the Fountain Point Hotel.
The scenes of the camp and the engineers depict several projects undertaken by the group, their campsite and equipment, and members of the entourage, including Professor Joseph B. Davis (Geodesy and Surveying) who was in charge of the operation. LeFavour also captured his peers at play, as a print of a baseball game at nearby Sutton's Bay reveals.
As a student, David LeFavour was also a member of the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity. He photographed his fraternity house, his room, an unidentified ceremony, and several group portraits of his fraternal brothers and their dates.
Although there is no indication of any personal participation by LeFavour in university athletics, he did photograph members of the university track team and local football games. Other negatives and prints detail several university buildings and more "artistic" views of the Huron River and local Ann Arbor streets.
Those negatives and prints focusing on Bay City, Michigan, provide an insight into another facet of LeFavour's life and interests. Several exterior views are present, which detail the various Shearer homes in the city as well as those of other prominent residents. Interior views of the James Shearer home (where David grew up), reflect the style of life and living conditions of a prosperous Michigan family at the turn of the century.
Many Bay City buildings, including schools, hospitals, and government structures are identified. As was done in Ann Arbor, LeFavour also photographed street views and individuals. Two favorite subjects for LeFavour were children and women. He frequently photographed young relatives and used his photographic skills to show his sister Helen in particular. Often the young lady (or ladies) were posed with bicycles.
The LeFavour negatives were randomly described and dated. Available information has been provided when possible, however. All negatives were produced between 1894 and 1895, but no dates have been attempted for undated negatives or prints. The print collection is numbered so that one can refer back to the appropriate glass negative. There are over 155 glass negatives and a corresponding number of prints.
1 linear foot (in 2 boxes)
The O'Neal collection consists of project files from the building of the Power Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Michigan campus and the construction of new gates and other repairs on the four dams on the Huron River in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The collection consists mainly of photographs detailing progress on each project, with some correspondence, construction documents, clippings, and dedication materials. The collection has been maintained in the order received from the donor. Some of the files include comments by the donor on the photographs and explaining the various stages of construction for each project.
7 linear feet (in 12 boxes) — 1 oversize folder
The Shaw collection is an assemblage of personal materials such as correspondence, essays and student notebook, and of Shaw's work as an artists including drawings, etchings, and other examples of artistic expression that he used in connection with his work with the University's Alumni Association and its publications. Records of Shaw's activities with the university will be found in the record groups for the Alumni Association and the Bureau of Alumni Relations also located at the Bentley Library. The collection has been divided into five series: Correspondence, Essays, Drawings and Etchings, Miscellaneous, and Photographs and other Visual Materials.
10 linear feet (11 boxes including 1 oversize box)
The Sam Sturgis collection consists of photographic prints and copy negatives of Washtenaw and Livingston County life from the 1860s through the 1970s. Collected by Ann Arbor photographer Sam Sturgis and Ypsilanti banker Hazel Proctor from a variety of known and unknown sources, the collection represents many aspects of life in Ann Arbor, Brighton, Chelsea, Dexter, Dixboro, Manchester, Saline and Ypsilanti. Main subject categories include churches, schools, businesses, buildings, University of Michigan buildings, staff, students and campus life, streets, panoramic views, rivers, recreation and family life, including residences, men, women, and children. Evolving modes of transportation, such as railroads, interurban streetcars, automobiles, and airplanes are also depicted.
Prints and negatives are divided into two parallel series, with negative use restricted to Bentley staff for preservation and security purposes. Each series is arranged alphabetically by city or town and, within each geographical grouping, in the order in which Sturgis collected the items. Sturgis began donating his collection to the Bentley in 1966, and, as items continue to be received, numbering is continued within each geographical grouping, in the original collecting and numbering order established by Sturgis. While some numbers were originally intended by Sturgis to designate the origins of the item, if known, this information has also been added to the item description under the heading "source" to facilitate patron and staff use. The Bentley does not hold a complete set of prints and negatives. Information on the current availability of both prints and negatives is included in each item listing.
Each photograph has a unique identifying number. The "Sturgis Number" consists of a one or two-letter series code, followed by a numerical number with decimal or alphanumeric number, such as AA 267.21 or AA 35A. the collection is arranged by city as follows
City Sturgis Code Number of Images Ann Arbor AA ca. 1500 Brighton BB 148 Chelsea C 156 Chelsea-Manchester CM 119 Dexter D 124 Dixboro DI 45 Manchester M 123 Saline S 57 Ypsilanti Y 150
An item list of all photographs with description, date (if known), source and photographer, if known, follows the summary contents list on page three of the introduction.
Information on whether the photograph has been published and therefore has further information provided elsewhere is also included in each item description. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs listed as "published" have been published in a series by the Ann Arbor Federal Savings Bank (AAFSB), with editorial supervision by Sam Sturgis and Hazel Proctor. Availability of the respective print and negative concludes each item entry.
The following books, published by the AAFSB in the early 1970s, are annotated with Sturgis' photograph numbers and may be used as a partial guide to the collection. While two copies of each publication are available for consultation in the reading room, only one of each set has annotations. Descriptive captions in these publications as well as the annotated numbers may differ from actual photograph numbers and other information about the photographs. Any reference to these annotations should be verified with the item lists and vice versa to assure accuracy because of occasional inconsistencies. The AAFSB publications with Bentley call numbers are listed as follows:
