In 958 and 1960, the University of Michigan-Princeton expeditions to the Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai included the Kelsey Museum's photographer, Mr. Fred Anderegg. Anderegg's photographs of the structural aspects of the monaastery and of the painted icons and mosaics within are well-known through such publications as the National Geographic magazine. Examples of these photographs may be seen in the Byzantium exhibit in the museum's north gallery.

It is the lesser known photographs of the residents of Mount Sinai, both monk and Bedouin, which are displayed in this exhibit. Those of us who have the good fortune to be acquainted with Mr. Anderegg know him as a kind and charming person who has the ability to disarm and set others at ease. In viewing these portraits it becomes evident that Anderegg has been able to use these qualities to engage his subjects so that the bond of trust between the photographer and his subject can be seen.