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George H. Forsyth (1901-1991) was an archeologist, architectural, and art historian who led archeological expeditions to Angers, France, Mount Sinai, Egypt, and countries in the Near East including Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Forsyth was a professor at the University of Michigan, chairman of the History of Art Department and director of the Kelsey Museum. The collection is comprised of personal materials, teaching materials, and extensive documentation of George's personal travel and archeological expeditions to Europe and the Near East such as correspondence, field notes, and visual materials.

The George H. Forsyth papers primarily document Forsyth's career. The collection includes personal materials, biographical information, daybooks, family photographs, teaching and lecture notes, and extensive documentation of George's personal travel and archeological expeditions to Europe and the Near East. Material related to expeditions includes field notebooks, photographs, negatives, architectural drawings, correspondence, and manuscripts of various publication activities.

George Forsyth died prior to completing the publication of his landmark drawings of Saint Catherine's Monastery (Mount Sinai, Egypt). Publication efforts were continued posthumously by his wife, Dr. Ilene H. Forsyth, an art historian and professor at the University of Michigan.

Researchers should note that a scrapbook in this collection contains visual material with racist content; specific information is included at the item level.

University of Michigan graduate (BA 1950), Columbia University graduate (MA 1955, Ph.D. 1960). Professor and art historian of medieval art and architecture.

Ilene H. Forsyth's personal papers contain biographical materials, correspondence, photographs, travel notes and notebooks, and a scrapbook. Biographical materials (1928-2005) include records that primarily document her early life and childhood. Her personal correspondence (1955-1972) is organized dominantly by individual, with two individuals comprising the majority of the records: her husband at the time, George H. Forsyth Jr., and her college roommate, Patricia "Andy" Andrews, documenting much of her early career, education, and travel. Forsyth's scrapbook, created circa the 1950, includes personal ephemera of her time as a University of Michigan student and some of her early travels. Included with the scrapbook is an oversized photograph of Royal Oak High School's Class of 1946, with Ilene (Eleanor Haering, at the time) included in the photograph. Forsyth's travel notes and notebooks (1950-2013) document her many trips to various destinations, including Turkey, Greece, France, Germany, Italy, India, China, and various South American countries. Lastly, the collection includes various photographs (1930-2004). Photographs also appear in Ilene Forsyth's professional papers. Folder titles in these boxes will indicate the presence of photographs.

Forsyth's professional papers document her career as a professor of art history and an art historian. Forsyth's teaching career at Barnard College, Columbia University, and the University of Michigan are reflected in the classes and instructional materials (1955-1996) sub-series. These records include her notes on courses taught, and may include some notes on courses taken as a student. Dr. Forsyth had varied research disciplines, but within her donated research materials, three overarching research topics were present: Moissac, France (records dating 1970-2013), Saulieu, France (records dating 1966-2010), and the William W. Cook Law Quadrangle at the University of Michigan (records dating 1915-2001). Along with these interests, individual topical files were present spanning various art history subjects, which are grouped under "Topical research files."

Some of the material present in this collection are not originals, but photocopies of original work used for research. In some cases, the earliest date of a folder may correspond with photocopies of original documents if it could be identified. When applicable, "includes photocopies" will be written at the top of the folder.