The Kelsey Museum archives hold a wealth of textual and photographic information on early-20th-century archaeological fieldwork, as well as some fine art photographs of antiquities. For further information about these archives or to find out how you can gain access to them, please visit the “Collections” page of our website or contact the Registry Department.
Documentary Archives
The Kelsey Museum houses excavation records from many of the expeditions that it has sponsored over the years. The documentation (or partial documentation) of the following sites is located in the Kelsey: Karanis, Soknopaiou Nesos (modern Dimé), Terenouthis, Seleucia-on-the-Tigris, and Pisidian Antioch. Papers and correspondence associated with the staff of these various projects may also be found in the Kelsey archives.
Photographic Archives
One of the real treasures of the Kelsey Museum is its extensive photographic archive. This resource contains images not only of the various field projects but also of the European, Mediterranean, and Near Eastern travels of Francis Kelsey, his son Easton Kelsey, Enoch Peterson, David Robinson, and the notable photographer George R. Swain during the 1910s and 1920s. Swain’s archive of papers documenting his photographic work is stored in the Kelsey as well.
Archival photographs are searchable in the Kelsey Museum Artifacts Database.
Bentley Historical Library
The Bentley Historical Library, on the campus of the University of Michigan, also contains the papers of many people affiliated with the Museum and its activities, such as Francis Kelsey, Enoch Peterson, George R. Swain, and Orma F. Butler. More information on Kelsey-related papers in the Bentley.
