MARQUETTE, Mich. — A mini-exhibition of photographs taken by Marquette’s Longyear family during trips to Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries is on display at Northern Michigan University’s DeVos Art Museum. The show is part of a larger exhibit of historical pieces from the museum’s permanent collection.  It runs through Aug. 19.

John Munro Longyear served as Marquette's mayor and was one of the founders of the Huron Mountain Club and the Arctic Coal Company.  He married Mary Beecher, a local teacher, and they had a several children. The Longyears were generous supporters of NMU, giving the university 160 acres of land, a hall named after the family that stood at the center of campus from 1907-1993 and a collection of photo albums documenting their European travels.

From the 1880s to the early 1900s, the Longyears visited Greece, Italy, Germany and Paris, France for the World’s Fair. They amassed hundreds of photos into meticulously organized photo albums and a collection of postcards. The original photographs are extremely sensitive because of their age, but two NMU students have worked to present a small selection of these images along with the collection of postcards.

NMU art history student Katie Archambeault from Wyoming, Mich., compiled research for the project and curated the selection of images on display. Photography student Matt McKindles from Pelkie scanned the original photographs and printed the digital versions for the exhibition. A preview of images can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/devosartmuseum.

Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Thursday and 1-4 p.m. weekends. Admission is free.