In the late 1950’s and the early 1960’s, archaeologists from the University of Michigan and Princeton made four expeditions to Saint Catherine’s monastery in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula.

In the late 1950’s and the early 1960’s, archaeologists from the University of Michigan and Princeton made four expeditions to Saint Catherine’s monastery in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula.

In the late 1950’s and the early 1960’s, archaeologists from the University of Michigan and Princeton made four expeditions to Saint Catherine’s monastery in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula.

In the late 1950’s and the early 1960’s, archaeologists from the University of Michigan and Princeton made four expeditions to Saint Catherine’s monastery in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula.

U of M’s Professor George Forsyth, the leader of the expeditions, described the monastery as “Christendom’s most vivid link with the past.”

U of M’s Professor George Forsyth, the leader of the expeditions, described the monastery as “Christendom’s most vivid link with the past.”

U of M’s Professor George Forsyth, the leader of the expeditions, described the monastery as “Christendom’s most vivid link with the past.”

U of M’s Professor George Forsyth, the leader of the expeditions, described the monastery as “Christendom’s most vivid link with the past.”

Michigan photographer Fred Anderegg used a portable photo lab - along with thousands of pounds of scaffolding and other equipment - to capture of one of the oldest functioning Christian monasteries in the world.

Michigan photographer Fred Anderegg used a portable photo lab - along with thousands of pounds of scaffolding and other equipment - to capture of one of the oldest functioning Christian monasteries in the world.

Michigan photographer Fred Anderegg used a portable photo lab - along with thousands of pounds of scaffolding and other equipment - to capture of one of the oldest functioning Christian monasteries in the world.

Michigan photographer Fred Anderegg used a portable photo lab - along with thousands of pounds of scaffolding and other equipment - to capture of one of the oldest functioning Christian monasteries in the world.

Anderegg’s use of scaffolding for his careful photo documentation reveals details and nuances beyond what can be seen by visiting the site in person.

Anderegg’s use of scaffolding for his careful photo documentation reveals details and nuances beyond what can be seen by visiting the site in person.

Anderegg’s use of scaffolding for his careful photo documentation reveals details and nuances beyond what can be seen by visiting the site in person.

Anderegg’s use of scaffolding for his careful photo documentation reveals details and nuances beyond what can be seen by visiting the site in person.

The Sinai collection contains an unprecedented scholarly resource: thousands of masterfully captured images revealing fourteen turbulent centuries of religious life in the Middle East.

The Sinai collection contains an unprecedented scholarly resource: thousands of masterfully captured images revealing fourteen turbulent centuries of religious life in the Middle East.

The Sinai collection contains an unprecedented scholarly resource: thousands of masterfully captured images revealing fourteen turbulent centuries of religious life in the Middle East.

The Sinai collection contains an unprecedented scholarly resource: thousands of masterfully captured images revealing fourteen turbulent centuries of religious life in the Middle East.

karanis

Collection Spotlight: Karanis

Images from Francis W. Kelsey's excavation of Karanis, an agricultural town in Graeco-Roman Egypt, document the first major excavation of the site as well as a more recent trip.


Collection Spotlight: Borobodur

The Visual Resource Collection possesses thousands of photographs of this impressive temple compound in Java, Indonesia. They are a part of a large and diverse collection of Southeast Asian Art at the University of Michigan.


Richard Edwards Discusses the Palace Museum Collection

Richard Edwards, our pre-eminent Chinese Art emeriti faculty member, sat down with us recently to discuss his career and the creation of the Palace Museum Collection in the 1960s.

Welcome to the Visual Resources Collections

The VRC maintains nearly two million images of art. The collection’s roots are more than 90 years old and developed as a teaching collection to support faculty and students. As the University of Michigan’s History of Art evolved and became a center for scholarship, so did the VRC collection become an international resource.