Collection Broome MSS - Myrtle Florence Broome Collection

4 boxes and 1 folder

Formerly in the possession of Miss Broome's cousin, Miss K. M. Slater.

Miss K. M. Slater donated the letters in 1986.

415 items of correspondence written by Miss Broome to her parents whilst working at Abydos between 1927 and 1937.

Fifteen items are groups of two letters (16, 35, 51, 55, 97, 111, 154, 198, 227, 268, 306, 319, 325, 363, 408, and 414, not all of them by Miss Broome), four of which are actually cards/postcards (16A, 306A, and 414A-B); item 156 is a group of three letters [= 429 letters and 4 cards/postcards in total].

A few letters include drawings/maps; seven letters include photographs (111, 123, 273-276, and 279); letter 337 includes a newspaper cutting; many of the letters include the original envelopes in which they were sent; some other letters mention the enclosure of additional items which are now lost.

Arranged chronologically.

Property of the Griffith Institute. No restrictions.

Copyright, Griffith Institute, University of Oxford. In Miss Slater's letter of donation, there was a condition that Mrs Sybil Rampen and Mr John Ruffle have permission to use the letters for publication, and will retain it after Miss Slater's death. Miss Slater died in March 2000.

• الانجليزية

No problems.

Summaries of the letters and index of personal names (compiled by Miss Kay Lorimer).

These are originals.

Transcripts of the letters were made by Mrs Rampen before the material was donated to the Griffith Institute. John Ruffle also has copies of these.

Other Archives:

• Photograph album and collection of watercolours (many with Egyptian themes) in the Bushey Museum and Art Gallery, Bushey (United Kingdom) [https://artuk.org/discover/artists/broome-myrtle-florence-18881978 (accessed 03/04/2021); https://busheymuseum.org/artists-myrtle-broome/ (accessed 03/04/2021)].

Griffith Institute Archive:

• Gardiner MSS 42.40, Broome Correspondence.
• Gardiner MSS 43, Abydos Enterprise (43.186-203 = Broome Correspondence).

• Full publication on this website (completed in 6 October 2021).
• Ruffle, John, "Myrtle Florence Broome", in: Breaking Ground: Women in Old World Archeology, Providence, RI: Brown University, 2004. [https://www.brown.edu/Research/Breaking_Ground/bios/Broome_Myrtle%20Florence.pdf (accessed 11/07/2020)].
• Ruffle, John, "The Alternative to Growing Turnips: Myrtle Broome in Egypt 1927-1937", in: Frood, Elizabeth and Angela McDonald (eds), Decorum and experience: essays in ancient culture for John Baines, Oxford: Griffith Institute, 2013, p. 174-179 (OEB 205657).
• Young, Lee, An Artist in Abydos: The Life and Letters of Myrtle Broome, Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2021 (letters from the first season mostly).
• Blog posts by Susan Biddle on "Wonderful Things: The blog of the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford" (https://blog.griffith.ox.ac.uk/).

See also:

• Calverley, Amice M. and Myrtle F. Broome, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos, volume I: The Chapels of Osiris, Isis and Horus. Edited by Alan H. Gardiner. London; Chicago: Egypt Exploration Society; University of Chicago Press, 1933 (OEB 140010).
• Calverley, Amice M. and Myrtle F. Broome, The temple of King Sethos I at Abydos, volume II: The Chapels of Amen-Rē', Rē'-Ḥarakhti, Ptaḥ, and King Sethos. Edited by Alan H. Gardiner. London; Chicago: Egypt Exploration Society; University of Chicago Press, 1935 (OEB 226131).
• Calverley, Amice M. and Myrtle F. Broome, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos, volume III: The Osiris Complex. Edited by Alan H. Gardiner. London; Chicago: Egypt Exploration Society; University of Chicago Press, 1938 (OEB 226132).
• Calverley, Amice M. and Myrtle F. Broome, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos, volume IV: The Second Hypostyle Hall. Edited by Alan H. Gardiner. London; Chicago: Egypt Exploration Society; University of Chicago Press, 1958 (OEB 8067).

• Photograph: Myrte F. Broome (centre) with Mr and Mrs Roche at Nag Hammadi (Broome letter 279, photograph 4).

• The letters have been transcribed by Lee Young. They have been proofread and prepared for publication on this website by a number of volunteers and the Griffith Institute Team (see individual letters for details). Jenni Navratil has digitized them all.

• Cultural warning: Users of this material are warned that some records document observations of people and cultures using scientific research models and language from the early twentieth century in ways that may be considered offensive today.

• If you spot any mistakes or can improve on the transcription, please email us at griffith.institute@ames.ox.ac.uk.