Portrait of Ruth Ward, about 1939

The personal papers of Ruth and Sherman Lee are a donation from the Lee family. They document the history of both the Lee and Ward families in addition to the relationship between Ruth Ward and Sherman Lee.The collection is organized into six series.

Series One, correspondence, is arranged by general and family correspondence. General correspondence is organized alphabetically by correspondent and chronologically thereunder.This small subseries includes letters that document the Lee’s relationship with friends, colleagues, and business associates. Family correspondence consists primarily of letters between Sherman and Ruth Lee and document their relationship before and during their marriage. Of particular interest are letters documenting Sherman Lee’s naval career and his tenure as advisor on collections in the Arts and Monuments Division of the Supreme Allied Command in Tokyo following World War II.

Series two, subject files, is organized into several subseries and includes records related to Sherman Lee’s professional associations, his research and writings, and travel. It also includes official records related to his military service and work in the Arts and Monuments Division.The family papers included in series three relate to family and personal history including yearbooks, awards, degrees, and memorials. Ephemeral items in series four include clippings, scrapbooks, directories, and Sherman Lee’s dog tags.

Series five is the largest and consists of audio and visual material. A small number of audio tapes, the condition of which is poor, document Lee’s lectures as a professor in the Cleveland Museum of Art-Case Western Reserve University joint program in art history. The remaining material in the series consists of photo albums and loose photos of family, friends, and travel. These are arranged chronologically and thereunder by subject or location. The final series includes oversized items and scrapbooks.