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Collection Overview

Creator:
Frantz, Alison
Title:
Alison Frantz Papers
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/r494vk19d
Dates:
1916-1995 (mostly 1940-1980)
Size:
83 boxes
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-83
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists of papers and photographs of Alison Frantz (1903-1995), a classicist who was the photographer and specialist in Early Christian and Byzantine archaeology for the Agora excavations at Athens from 1933 to 1968 for the American School of Classical Studies.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of papers of Alison Frantz, a classicist and photographer. She was the photographer and specialist in Early Christian and Byzantine archaeology for the Agora excavations at Athens from 1933 to 1968 for the American School of Classical Studies. In 1967 she received a grant from the American Philosophical Society to study, draw and photograph the temple ruins (circa 200-300 A.D.) on the island of Silinos in the Aegean Sea. Frantz also served as Cultural Attache (1946-1949) for the U.S. Embassy in Athens and later was a visiting member at the Institute for Advanced Study. Included in the papers are hundreds of black and white photographs of different sizes of classical and Byzantine architecture, sculpture, monuments, ornamental motifs, inscriptions and artifacts primarily of the Agora excavations in Athens, and Greece, but also documenting her work at various other sites in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. There are also photographs of vernacular architecture, scenes of daily life, and of manuscripts at the Megaspelaion Monastery, which were later destroyed in a fire. Also present are drawings, sketches, notecards, notecards with photographs, photo study cards, notebooks, and negative files relating to her studies of the Agora excavations, sculpture and other sites in Turkey, Greece, the Peloponnese and elsewhere.

The papers also contain student notes, lectures, book reviews, and articles by Frantz, such as "The Crusaders in Greece," "Multum in Parvo, the Aegean Island of Sikinos," many articles and notes concerning the post-classical habitation of the Athenian Agora, and "Geography and Politics in Early Christian Ornament in Greece," written for a festschrift for Kurt Weitzmann. A correspondence file includes personal and professional correspondents such as The American Philosophical Society, The Archaeological Institute of American, Rhys Carpenter, Peter Megaw, Smith College, Homer Thompson, John Travlos, Harper & Row, the Phaidon Press, and letters (1925-1948) to her mother, Mary K. Frantz. In addition there are personal photographs of herself, family, friends and pets, documents, medals, printed matter, and a volume of genealogical information entitled "Our Family."

Arrangement

Organized into the following series:

Collection Creator Biography:

Frantz, Alison

Alison Frantz was a classicist and photographer. She was the photographer and specialist in Early Christian and Byzantine archaeology for the Agora excavations at Athens from 1933 to 1968 for the American School of Classical Studies. In 1967 she received a grant from the American Philosophical Society to study, draw and photograph the temple ruins (circa 200-300 A.D.) on the island of Sikinos in the Aegean Sea. Frantz also served as Cultural Attache (1946-1949) for the U.S. Embassy in Athens and later was a visiting member at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Collection History

Acquisition:

The collection is the result of a gift from Alison Frantz in 1994 and subsequent bequests from her estate in 1995 and 1996 . Additions are a gift of Dimitri Gondicas in 2002.

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Amy Papalexandrou and Barbara Volz in 1997. Finding aid written by Amy Papalexandrou and Barbara Volz in 1997. New material was added and the collection was edited and completed by Kalliopi Balatsouka in 2013.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

The Trustees of Princeton University hold the copyright for materials in this collection that were created by Alison Frantz. Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, any copyright vested in the donor has passed to The Trustees of Princeton University and researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of donor-created materials within the collection. For materials in the collection not created by the donor, or where the material is not an original, the copyright is likely not held by the University. In these instances, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Alison Frantz Papers; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/r494vk19d
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-83