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

In 1899 an unidentified artist created 21 pages of watercolor paintings of different North American birds accompanied by manuscript descriptions detailing the birds' habitat, size, coloration, distinctions between males and females, and the scale used to render the image. An additional two pages consist of a numbered diagram of a bird identifying various physiological components, with a close-up view of the beak.

In 1899 an unidentified artist created 21 pages of watercolor paintings of different North American birds accompanied by manuscript descriptions detailing the birds' habitat, size, coloration, distinctions between males and females, and the scale used to render the image. An additional two pages consist of a numbered diagram of a bird identifying various physiological components, with a close-up view of the beak.

• Horned Grebe
• Partridges
• Screech Owls
• Bee or King Birds
• Red Bird or Bobolink
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Baltimore Oriole or Hang-Nest
• Crimson or Purple Finch
• Goldfinch or Salad Bird
• Chipping Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Vesper Sparrow
• Yellow Winged Sparrow
• English Sparrow
• Snow Bird
• Cardinal Bird
• Rose Breasted Grosbeak
• Indigo Bunting
• Scarlet Tanager
• Cedar Bird
• American Redstart
• Common Blue Bird
• Maryland Yellow Warbler
• Blue Jay

The pages were previously bound into a volume and most contain page numbers in the top left corner, revealing the loss of a number of pages.

The Pageant of the Dunes photograph album contains 92 photographs including snapshots of scenery in and around the vicinity of Chicago, Illinois, as well as images of the “Pageant of the Dunes” event held in Port Chester, Indiana, in 1917.

The Pageant of the Dunes photograph album contains 92 photographs including snapshots of scenery in and around the vicinity of Chicago, Illinois, as well as images of the “Pageant of the Dunes” event held in Port Chester, Indiana, in 1917.

The album (19 x 29 cm) is string-bound and has black paper covers and pages. Contents begin with images of Chicago scenery including views of Navy Pier, Edgebrook, and the Chicago River while the following section features several images showing statues of World War I soldiers in the display window of Marshall Field's department store. Photographs in the section captioned “Pageant of the Dunes, 1917” consist of images of crowds as well as actors and actresses, including some dressed as Native Americans. Three photographs dated to 1918 are also present.

The Painted Bulletin Advertising Association book was assembled in 1924 by the Detroit-based Painted Bulletin Advertising Association and contains 70 photographs of a wide range of commercial and public service billboards as well as typescript text regarding strategies for increasing sales with billboard advertising.

The Painted Bulletin Advertising Association book was assembled in 1924 by the Detroit-based Painted Bulletin Advertising Association and contains 70 photographs of a wide range of commercial and public service billboards as well as typescript text regarding strategies for increasing sales with billboard advertising.

The volume (28.5 x 25 cm) has black leather covers and serves as a comprehensive primer on the advantages of using "painted bulletins" to increase sales for companies with products as diverse as building supplies, dairy products, furniture sales, and men's clothing. Likely distributed to advertising agencies across the country to bolster the Painted Bulletin Advertising Association’s efforts in increasing the use of billboards by local businesses, the volume provides case studies and testimonials as well as detailed analyses drawing on the latest census data and consumer psychology. Specific talking points and strategies are offered to convince business owners that billboard advertising will increase their sales. A brief section is also included describing how billboards can be employed for drawing attention to important community issues.

All 70 photographs included in the volume are canvas-backed, stamped "Smith Brothers, Commercial Photographers, …Detroit, Mich.," and depict billboard designs or actual billboards in situ. Several images provide detailed descriptions of the colors used in various elements of each design, and many are mounted on cloth backing.

The volume includes the following sections:

• "Building Boom" - Eight pages on successful outdoor advertising by construction companies with examples from around the country.
• 18 pages of photographs with detailed description of colors used in billboard designs for various products.
• "Promotion Literature on Furniture Accounts" – 12-page case study of advertising strategies of 15 companies with 13 photographs of billboard designs.
• Two-page October 1923 association newsletter with a case study of a department store's use of billboards.
• "Dairy Products" – 12 pages of case studies on dairy companies' use of billboards including 13 photographs.
• "How the Painted Bulletin Can Serve the Community" – Five pages (and five photographs) on how billboards can be used to highlight local issues.
• "Economy of Outdoor Advertising" – One-page testimonial letter from the head of a New York advertising firm.
• "Information and Data on Painted Bulletin Advertising Campaigns by Manufacturers of Building Materials" – 10-page comparative study of various companies plus 10 photographs.
• "Outdoor Advertising Campaigns" – Eight pages of examples of usage by department stores around the country with six photographs.

The Paul A. Meunier photograph albums consist of three large volumes documenting the experiences of the U.S. Army 941st Engineering Aviation Topographical Battalion during World War II including basic training in the United States in 1942, assignments in Tunisia and Italy, and the journey home via the Pacific following the conclusion of the war.

The Paul A. Meunier photograph albums consist of three large volumes documenting the experiences of the U.S. Army 941st Engineering Aviation Topographical Battalion during World War II including basic training in the United States in 1942, assignments in Tunisia and Italy, and the journey home via the Pacific following the conclusion of the war.

All three albums in the collection are 46 x 57 cm in size and have black covers and black paper pages. Each album contains approximately 1,000 photographs. Being a professional artist, Meunier’s attention to detail and exactness is evidenced by the presence of faint framing lines an inch from page margins, with photos carefully arranged within the frames. Numerous captions are present in white ink and neatly printed in appropriate size. Since the three albums present in this collection are titled “Volume 3,” “Volume 4,” and “Volume 5,” it is presumed that Meunier likely produced at least five albums total. Both official photographs as well as personal snapshots taken by Meunier himself are included.

Album A ("Volume 3"): This album documents Meunier’s military service starting from June 1942 when he departed Cleveland for basic training, initial U.S. deployments, his assignment to Tunisia, and his unit’s journey across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy in December 1943. Many snapshot views of street scenes in Tunis and other places in North African Meunier explored while on leave as well as copies of official U.S. Army photographs recording visits to Tunis in 1943 by high-ranking U.S. officials (including Secretary of War Henry Stimson and Generals Eisenhower and Spaatz) are present.

Album B ("Volume 4"): This album documents the transfer of Meunier’s unit to San Severo, Italy. Images of particular interest show the unit working on the production of large-scale lithographically produced bird’s-eye view maps with designated bombing targets charted out. Visits while on leave to Naples, Capri, and Amalfi are also thoroughly represented. Also present is a hand-drawn map of the streets of San Severo and an annotated aerial view of Capri.

Album C ("Volume 5"): This album includes official photos of airborne fighter planes and bombers, aerial views of target sites, and artwork by a fellow soldier. Meunier’s snapshots show soldiers at work as well as on tourist visits to famous Italian sites such as Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Pompeii. Although materials are not arranged in strict chronological order, this volume covers a period of time from when Meunier’s company was headquartered in Bari in mid-1944 to his journey home by ship through the Panama Canal in mid-1945. Also present are a handful of views of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 1944.

This collection consists of a small bound volume of pre-printed burial removal permits filled out for Pennsylvania undertakers O. M. Bennett, J. L. Vann, W. S. Clarke & Son, H. S. Cosher, John Henderson, and J. G. Luther. The forms document the deceased's name, age, date of death, cause of death, residence, place of burial, and the location where the body was to be removed.

This collection consists of a small bound volume of pre-printed burial removal permits filled out for Pennsylvania undertakers O. M. Bennett, J. L. Vann, W. S. Clarke & Son, H. S. Cosher, John Henderson, and J. G. Luther. The forms document the deceased's name, age, date of death, cause of death, residence, place of burial, and the location where the body was to be removed. Causes of death include apoplexy, pneumonia, tuberculosis, cancer, cholera, gastritis, meningitis, accidents, drowning, heart failure and disease, still birth and injuries sustained during birth, senility and old age, and various other medical conditions. At least 21 deaths were related to railroad and train accidents.