Identity area
Reference code
Ross MSS
Title
Date(s)
- 1960s-1990s (Creation)
Level of description
Collection
Extent and medium
21 boxes and 1 parcel
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
American photographer. Born, New York 1920. Died, Oxford 2006. Studied at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. He was a ship's communication officer in the US Merchant Navy during WWII. After the war he worked as a navigator for TWA airlines, and worked on the route which included Cairo. It was here that he came in contact with professional photographers which inspired him to hone his own skills and eventually led to a career in free-lance photography. His commercial work incorporated his own varied interests, and is especially noted for his images of Egypt, its people, culture and ancient monuments. He worked for Chicago House in Egypt as well as several American museums with major Ancient Egyptian collections. He also had his own London based photography agency called The John Ross Photographic Archive.
Archival history
Formerly part of The John Ross Photographic Archive.
Two colour transparencies were formerly in the possession of Mr Geoffrey Killen, who received them from John G. Ross.
Eight 35 mm colour slides and one black & white photograph in the possession of Thames & Hudson Ltd., London.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Donated to the Griffith Institute by his former wife Mrs Judy Ross in 2007.
Two additional colour transparencies donated by Mr Geoffrey Killen in April 2016.
Eight 35 mm colour slides and one black & white photographic print donated by Naomi Pritchard, Head of Archives and Permissions, Thames & Hudson Ltd., London, in March 2023.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Slides, colour transparencies, 35 mm black & white and colour film slides, variously sized black & white negatives, black & white and colour photographs, 19th Century photographs, antique and modern postcards, and project folders containing working notes, photocopies and correspondence.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Kept as received.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Property of the Griffith Institute. No restrictions.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
No problems.
Finding aids
No full catalogue. Online catalogue continually updated.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
These are originals.
Existence and location of copies
Not known.
Related units of description
Publication note
- Photographs included in many Egyptological publications, most notably:
- N. Jenkins, The Boat Beneath the Pyramid: King Cheops’ Royal Ship (London, 1980)
- W. H. Peck, Drawings from Ancient Egypt (London, 1978)
- P. Jordan, Riddles of the Sphinx (Stroud, 1998).
- Some photographs, see the online publication: ‘Photographs of Egypt by John Ross’ (http://www.griffith.ox.ac.uk/gri/4ross.html and http://www.griffith.ox.ac.uk/gri/4rostut.html on the tomb of Tutankhamun).
Notes area
Note
The Griffith Institute does not house any non-Egyptologial photographs taken by John Ross, these images may be registered with photographic agencies. The Griffith Institute is not able to provide any further information on this material, supply agency contact details or forward any requests on behalf of a Third Party.