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Wild Encounters
Today started with Box 42, which appeared to be from the files of William Emerson, the professor who sponsored Van Nice’s project in Istanbul before it was supported by Dumbarton Oaks. Some clues were...
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Raison d’etre
The first few boxes of the “General Correspondence Group” have been a bit of a mixed bag. There has been an array of material types: newspaper clippings, research notes, correspondence, and published...
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The Architect-Turned-Spy
Robert Van Nice’s years of experience in Istanbul brought him to the attention of the O.S.S. (Office of Strategic Services) during the Second World War, and he served as an agent for the U.S. from...
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The Influential Friendship of William Emerson
Written by Beth Bayley, Archivist Assistant We have previously mentioned William Emerson, the man who sponsored Robert Van Nice’s survey of Hagia Sophia, but who was he, really? Primarily, Emerson was...
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Leaving Hagia Sophia: Istanbul before World War II
Written by Beth Bayley, Byzantine Archives Assistant All the talk about the Monuments Men and the role that Dumbarton Oaks played in World War II (as illustrated in our blog post about Harvard’s...
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Hagia Sophia Homecoming: Returning to Istanbul after World War II
Written by Beth Bayley, former Byzantine Archives Assistant (2012-2014) The Van Nices returned to Istanbul in June of 1946, a year after the European theater of World War II had ended. Robert Van Nice...
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