Randal Stegmeyer: Exposing the Past

The University of Michigan

Randal Stegemeyer’s primary work at the University of Michigan has been to document the collections of the University Library. These holdings extend well beyond bound, printed books to a largely unseen world of art objects, artifacts, and relics, as well as the Library’s world-class collection of papyri. Randal’s photographs bring out surface and texture to highlight the nature of these objects as tactile artifacts. Beyond the Library, Randal’s images for the University of Michigan Museum of Art reveal the drama and excitement of art across a range of cultures and periods. His creative documentation of buildings on the university’s main campus presents new aspects of our historic and modern structures.

Click the images below to enlarge.

Slant of Light, by Emily Dickinson
Slant of Light, by Emily Dickinson
Boxes used to ship papyri
Gold, silver, and amethyst dreidel
Mickey Mouse dreidel
The Elephant’s Head
Fragment of papyrus, in color and infrared
Yombe power figure
Samurai armor and helmet
Vili antelope-horn whistle
Turned wood sculpture
Clements Library exterior
Clements Library interior
Civil War diary
Civil War diary, both sides of a single page
Page from a braille book
Chinese Bencharong ware jar
Slant of Light, by Emily DickinsonClose×
Slant of Light = Sesgo de luz, by Emily Dickinson, Jorge Yglesias, and Jordan Estevez, 1998 (U-M Special Collections)
Slant of Light, by Emily DickinsonClose×
Slant of Light = Sesgo de luz, by Emily Dickinson, Jorge Yglesias, and Jordan Estevez, 1998 (U-M Special Collections)
Boxes used to ship papyriClose×
Boxes used to ship papyri from Karanis, Egypt (Papyrology Collection, Hatcher Graduate Library) These are the original boxes that Francis W. Kelsey used to ship papyri from the Karanis Expedition to the University of Michigan. — R.S.
Gold, silver, and amethyst dreidelClose×
Gold, silver, and amethyst dreidel (Jewish Heritage Collection, U-M Special Collections)
Mickey Mouse dreidelClose×
Mickey Mouse dreidel (Jewish Heritage Collection, U-M Special Collections)
The Elephant’s HeadClose×
Page from The Elephant’s Head: Studies in the Comparative Anatomy of the Organs of the Head of the Indian Elephant and Other Mammals, by J. E. V. Boas (Jena: G. Fischer, 1908) (U-M Special Collections) A veterinarian at an elephant reserve in Tennessee required an anatomical drawing to assist with surgery. We were happy to provide this image. — R.S.
Fragment of papyrus, in color and infraredClose×
Fragment of papyrus P.Mich.inv. 1912, in color and infrared (Papyrology Collection, Hatcher Graduate Library)
Yombe power figureClose×
Yombe power figure (nkisi nduda) (University of Michigan Museum of Art)
Samurai armor and helmetClose×
Samurai armor and helmet with Paulownia crests (University of Michigan Museum of Art)
Vili antelope-horn whistleClose×
Vili antelope-horn whistle (nsiba) (University of Michigan Museum of Art)
Turned wood sculptureClose×
Turned wood sculpture (University of Michigan Museum of Art)
Clements Library exteriorClose×
Clements exterior (William L. Clements Library)
Clements Library interiorClose×
Clements interior (William L. Clements Library)
Civil War diaryClose×
Civil War diary of William Harrison Marshall, a soldier of the 18th Michigan Infantry Regiment (Bentley Historical Library) This leather-bound diary saved Marshall’s life, as evidenced by the bullet hole that does not go through the book. — R.S.
Civil War diary, both sides of a single pageClose×
Both sides of a single page from Marshall’s diary (Bentley Historical Library)
Page from a braille bookClose×
Page from the Sammelmappe aller deutsch- und fremdsprachlichen Systeme der Blindenschrift [Collection of all German and foreign language Braille systems], published by the Marburg University Library, Secondary School, and Advice Center for Blind Students, 1923 (Buhr Remote Shelving Facility) Easily the most ironic photos that I have made are braille documents in German for screen display. — R.S.
Chinese Bencharong ware jarClose×
Chinese Bencharong ware jar (tho) (University of Michigan Museum of Art)