The Myron Bement Smith collection consists of two parts, the papers of Myron Bement Smith and his wife Katharine and the Islamic Archives. It contains substantial material about his field research in Italy in the 1920s and his years working on Islamic architecture in Iran in the 1930s. Letters describe the milieu in which he operated in Rochester NY and New York City in the 1920s and early 1930s; the Smiths' life in Iran from 1933 to 1937; and the extensive network of academic and social contacts that Myron and Katharine developed and maintained over his lifetime. The Islamic Archives was a project to which Smith devoted most of his professional life. It includes both original materials, such as his photographs and notes, and items acquired by him from other scholars or experts on Islamic art and architecture. Smith intended the Archives to serve as a resource for scholars interested in the architecture and art of the entire Islamic world although he also included some materials about non-Islamic architecture.

This accession consists of publications published by the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and written by its staff. Publications include "Mr. Whistler's Gallery: Pictures at an 1884 Exhibition," by Kenneth Myers; "ARS Orientalis;" "Sevruguin and the Persian Image: Photographs of Iran, 1870-1930," edited by Frederick Nathaniel...

The bulk of these papers document the professional life of Carol Kramer, a leading figure in ethnoarchaeology, specializing in the Middle East and South Asia. She was also a major advocate for the professional development of women in anthropology and archaeology. Dating 1943-2002, the collection includes field notes, writings, correspondence, daily planners, teaching files, photographs, sound recordings, maps, computer disks, and botanical specimens. Her ethnoarchaeological research in "Shahabad" (a.k.a. "Aliabad") in Iran and in Rajasthan, India is well-represented in the collection.

Photographs and negatives of Sonia P. and Hans C. Seherr-Thoss. Mounted and unmounted color slides, transparencies, black and white negatives, mounted prints, contact sheets, and a photograph, circa 1960-1968. The majority of images, taken by Hans C. Seherr-Thoss, appear in their publication, Design and Color in Islamic Architecture: Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey, published by the, Smithsonian Institution Press, in 1968. Countries depicted are Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

An outstanding scholar in the field of Iranian studies, Ernst Herzfeld (1879--1948) explored all phases of Near Eastern culture from the prehistoric period to Islamic times. This collection documents Herzfeld's excavations at Samarra, Persepolis, Pasargadae, and Aleppo and includes correspondence; field notebooks; drawings; sketchbooks; inventories of objects; "squeeze" copies of architectural details; and photographs.

Photographs and diaries made by Louis Constant Victor Rilliet during his business trips throughout Europe and the Middle East. The photographs largely document scenery, buildings, people, and transportation. The diaries, dated 1880 and 1891-1892, discuss visits to Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Austri...

Photographs made during William F. Baggerman's travels, including trips on the Pan-American Highway, the Tara River in Yugoslavia, and a Transsaharan "expedition" in the Amazon River Region, and in the Balkans, Tibet, Iran, Afghanistan, and Bakistan. They document people and their natural and built environments, as well as markets, ceremonies and ...

The Freer Gallery of Art Central Files are comprised mostly of the documentation of routine office procedures. Included in the daily routine were: filling orders for facsimiles of photographs, responding to reference requests seeking information about art and artifacts falling under the domain of the Freer's expertise, the Freer granting ...

Photographs made by Robert and Elizabeth Webb in numerous locations across the world, including Asia (China, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Borneo, Singapore, Thailand, Burma, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and Russia); the Balkans (Czech Republic, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Poland); Europe (Spain, England, Fran...

Photographs made by Janet Longcope during trips to countries around the world. They depict landscapes, buildings, markets, dances, agriculture, arts and crafts, ceremonies, children, cooking, musicians, and transportation. Locations depicted include Afghanistan, Australia, Bhutan, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Easter Island, Egypt, Et...