Collections

The Small Southeast Asia Collections contains photographs, postcards, and papers depicting the people and locations within several countries in the Southeast Asian region. Materials predominately focus on the Philippines with some featuring Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Burma (Myanmar) circa 1890s-1945.

Contains a grouping of six separately accessioned collections depicting people and locations in the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Burma (Myanmar). Strengths of the collection include photographs and other visual materials that depict different communities living throughout the Philippines and other locations during the early half of the twentieth century. Some of the collection's items were created from the perspectives of foreign travelers and missionaries to the region that may describe people and places using outdated terminology. The majority of content is written in English, although captions in the Siam and Cochin China photo ablum are mostly in French.

The Smith family travel photograph albums consist of two volumes containing photographs, chromolithographs, die-cut scrapbook pieces, and pressed flower designs accumulated during a trip to Europe, Egypt, Syria, and Palestine.

The Smith family travel photograph albums consist of two volumes containing photographs, chromolithographs, die-cut scrapbook pieces, and pressed flower designs accumulated during a trip to Europe, Egypt, Syria, and Palestine.

The albums chronicle the journey of siblings “J. M. Smith" and “M. H. Smith.” Each album bears the name of its respective owner on the front cover. The Smiths left New York City on May 20th 1874 on the Cunard Line Steamer Abyssinia, before disembarking in Queenstown, Ireland, on May 29th. After spending time in Ireland, England, and Scotland they visited several locations in mainland Europe including Paris, Switzerland, southern Germany, Brussels, the Netherlands, Italy, Prussia, and Austria. After exploring Europe, the Smiths ventured to the Middle East where they toured Egypt, Christian holy sites in Palestine (present-day Israel), Turkey, and Syria. They subsequently traveled back through Italy and France before boarding the steamer Bothnia in Liverpool and returning to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Volume one (25 x 19.5 cm) has purple covers with “J. M. Smith” stamped in gold on the front and contains 47 photographs, 19 printed items, 1 drawing, and numerous dried pressed vegetation arrangements. Several images found in this album are also found in volume two including commercial photographic reproductions of engraved portraits, Italian Renaissance artwork, and other 19th century paintings. A handwritten itinerary outlining the course of the trip can be found inside the front cover and suggests the albums were finished being compiled by August 20th 1875. Items of interest include several portraits of various individuals including Julia Anderson, Jinnie Miller, Lula Miller, Nannie Anderson, and Reverend Christopher Newman Hall; numerous dried floral compositions; a pen and ink drawing of the “arms & crest of ‘Darsie’”; a photograph of two leaning towers in Bologna; a printed memorial card for Elizabeth Maria Thompson, founder of the British Syrian Schools Mission in Beirut and Damascus; and an image of blind children likely from one of Thompson’s schools.

Volume two (25 x 19.5 cm) has purple covers with "M. H. Smith" stamped in gold on the front and contains 64 photographs, 70 printed items, and numerous dried pressed vegetation arrangements. A handwritten itinerary outlining the course of the trip that is nearly identical to one found at the beginning of volume one is located inside the front cover. Items of interest include a photograph of a painting of Queen Victoria’s family; die-cut scrapbook pieces depicting different manner of dress in nations including the United States, China, and Italy; and numerous photographs and photographic reproductions of portraits of European royalty, rulers, and people wearing traditional ethnic clothing (mainly Swiss, Germans, Italians, and Greeks). Also of note are pressed vegetation and flower designs including moss samples spelling out “Italy” and “Egypt”; photographic and lithographic portraits of Prussian leaders Wilhelm I, Crown Prince Frederick William, Prince Carl, and Otto von Bismarck; a collection of materials from Marie Antoinette’s prison cell along with flowers from around Paris; a photograph of a female professor at the University of Bologna, Italy who was said to be too beautiful to be seen teaching (also found in volume two); a lengthy description of religious sites in Jaffa, Palestine; a reward of merit in Arabic given to M. H. Smith by an Arab guide (also found in volume two); and photographs of the King and Queen of Greece. Numerous photographs have been colored by hand.

Architectural and engineering firm established in 1853 and headquartered in Detroit, Mich. with offices throughout the United States. Collection contains architectural drawings of five Michigan projects located in Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Flint.

This collection consists of architectural drawings for five projects: the Gregory Mayer & Thom and Society of Arts and Crafts buildings in Detroit, the Industrial Mutual Association (IMA) Auditorium in Flint, and the University of Michigan's Chemistry and Rackham buildings in Ann Arbor.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Disabled Hats is a humorous handwritten and illustrated booklet related to a fictional organization dedicated to the protection of various styles of hats.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Disabled Hats is a humorous handwritten and illustrated booklet related to a fictional organization dedicated to the protection of various styles of hats.

The volume (11 x 7 cm) is a small notebook with a sticker on the front cover of an American top hat. Inside of the front cover the name and originating date of the society are presented. The following pages display a declaration from the society’s “board” before delving into 60 watercolor and ink illustrations of different types of hats, each of which is provided a name. The inside of the back cover contains lists of the society's “board members” and “inspectors.” Also of note is an illustration of a firefighting wagon.

University of Michigan section of national organization established to further interests of women engineering students. History and background information, annual reports, newsletters and newspaper clippings, budget information, photographs and scrapbooks, correspondence, and files relating to section activities

The records of the University of Michigan student section of the Society of Women Engineers cover the period from 1971 to 2011 and have been divided into three series: Society Records, Student Activities, and Audio-Visual.

The Solar Car Team is an interdisciplinary student organization at the University of Michigan whose objectives are to design, finance, build and race a solar-powered vehicle from scratch. The collection documents the activities and experiences of several generations of the team, including team organization, design, fundraising, construction, testing and racing.

The records of the various U-M Solar Car projects have been received in multiple accessions and are generally described by accession. Accessions are typically organized around specific vehicles, but do contain material carried over from previous cars and races reflecting the fact that students learned from and built on the work of previous teams. For this reason, researchers are advised to review all accessions. The records contain a wide variety of documentation on the design, building, financing and racing of the solar cars and administrative and project management records.

Records include group reports; topical files; and binders containing newsletters and bulletins, and administrative and technical information for the cars; also included are videocassettes detailing design, building, and racing of the Sunrunner solar-powered automobile; photographs and albums of snapshots of team members performing general team tasks and captures of the Solar Car Team website.

Interracial, non-profit, non-partisan community service organization in Battle Creek, Michigan (formerly Battle Creek Area Urban League) founded in 1966 and affiliated with the National Urban League. Series include: History, Administration, Correspondence, Reports, Meetings, Programs, Community Memberships, Public Relations, Events, Battle Creek Area Urban League Guild, and Visual, Audio, and Digital Materials.

The records of the Southwestern Michigan Urban League span the years 1962-2007. The League's mission of providing and administering services for minorities and the disadvantaged, as well as internal operations, are reflected in the records, which consist mainly of administrative and program materials, correspondence, minutes, reports and proposals. While the years represented incorporate tenures of numerous executive directors, the records most fully document leadership provided by Benjamin Richmond (1982-1987) and Joyce Brown (1988-1992).

The Southwestern Michigan Urban League Records are relevant to the study of the administration of African American social service organizations, especially Urban Leagues, within the context of particular communities. The collection is strong in illuminating the effectiveness of collaboration -- civic, business and educational groups addressing interrelated community issues. Both Richmond and Brown maintained high profiles on numerous boards and committees working in Battle Creek to solve social problems and promote economic development.

The records of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (Clawson, Mich.) document the history of the church from its beginning in 1951 to its closing in 2011. Records include church registers, parish directories, bulletins, newsletters, photographs in analog and digital formats, and other administrative records.

Saint Andrew's Church created and kept many records which document the activities and membership of the church. The record group is divided into several series: Register of Church Services; Registers of Marriages, Baptisms, Confirmations, Burials, etc.; Vestry Records; Chronological Series; Church Bulletins; Church Newsletters; Parish Directories; Organizational Record Books; and Other Records. Analog photographs of members and events are scattered throughout the collection. The Other Records series contains digital photos of the church and church events.

The records document both the administration and activities of the church. Of special interest to the genealogist are the Registers of Marriages, Baptisms, Confirmations, Burials, etc. These volumes contain dates and other information about members of the church parish. Other membership information will be found in the Parish Directory series. The Vestry Records contain minutes, reports, and other items related to the administration of the church. This series should be supplemented with the Chronological series which is made up of annual folders containing correspondence, reports, photographs, and other items from each year. For information on events and services of the church, researchers should examine the Church Bulletins and Church Newsletters. The run of newsletters is fairly complete but only a sampling of the bulletins were retained, enough to document every decade in the church's history.

Collection documents the personal and professional life of Stanford R. Ovshinsky, Michigan inventor and pioneer in the field of amorphous materials; his work emphasized photovoltaics and batteries, among other areas. Includes correspondence, business files, technical publications and presentations, and related records documenting Ovshinsky's life, activities, accomplishments, and interests.

The Stanford R. Ovshinsky papers comprise materials documenting his long scientific career. Though the collection includes some information about his personal life, the files primarily provide insight into Ovshinsky's professional activities and involvement in the field of amorphous materials.

Social psychologist, Columbia University professor of psychology, affiliated with the Research Center for Group Dynamics; collection includes publications and professional papers.

The papers of Dr. Stanley Schachter are divided into four series: Publications and papers, Research Correspondence and Notes, Journals and other professional activities, and Biographical/personal.

The papers were first arranged by Dr. Schachter's wife, Sophia Schachter, before arriving at the Bentley Historical Library. Included in some folders are lists compiled by Mrs. Schachter detailing their contents. In some cases, she has also included a brief history of who worked with Dr. Schachter on certain projects.