Scope and Content Note
The papers of Lars Eriksson Lind span the years 1913-2008, with the bulk of the material dating from 1947 to 1979. The material relates to the American Colony in Jerusalem and Lind’s life as a member of that colony. The papers are mostly in English with some in Swedish and are organized alphabetically by type of material.
Lind’s memoirs comprise the largest part of the collection and chronicle life in the American Colony in Jerusalem from 1881 to 1948 against the backdrop of the governance of Palestine under the Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate, and the rise of Zionism. He provides a view of the colony from the perspective of one of its Swedish members, but offers few personal experiences. Further material relating to life in the colony consists of a description of Anna T. Spafford, a founder of the colony, written by Lind and attached to a letter in the correspondence, his miscellaneous writings, clippings about Lind, and publications relating to the governing of Palestine.
Rounding out the collection are publications produced for the American Colony Stores by Fr. Vester & Co. and clippings of articles from the National Geographic Magazine using photographs from the American Colony Photo Department or from photographers who had once been part of the colony.