Dorothy Miller Photographic Collection
Scope and Contents
The collection primarily consists of photographs taken by Dorothy Miller in Saudi Arabia (and other nearby locations) while she worked for Aramco from the 1940s to the 1970s. The bulk of the prints found in the collection were created by Miller in 2006. It also includes other documents and publications related to the company dating from the 1930s to the 2000s.
Dates
- Creation: 1930 - 1993
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1940 - 1970
Creator
- Miller, Dorothy (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of the materials being used, establishing who the copyright owner is, locating the copyright owner, and obtaining permission for intended use.
Biographical Note
Dorothy Miller arrived in Saudi Arabia in 1947 to work in the law department of the oil company ARAMCO. She became interested in photography after meeting chief ARAMCO photographer Tommy Walters in Dhahran in 1949. Eventually, Miller learned to do her own developing and by 1959 had garnered enough attention for her hobby that she decided to take an intensive six-week professional photography course at the Brooks Institute in San Francisco. Miller returned to ARAMCO in 1967 as treasurer and continued to take photographs ranging from ARAMCO staff and facilities to the people and countryside of Saudi Arabia. Locations depicted include Abquaiq, al-Khobar, Dhahran, Dammam, Hofuf, and Qatif. Miller retired from ARAMCO and returned to the US in 1977. Since then her photographs have been exhibited at Georgetown University Library in 2007 and at the Saudi Aramco Heritage Gallery in Dhahran in 2008.
Extent
3.6 Cubic Feet (5 boxes and 1 oversized folder)
Language of Materials
English
Metadata Rights Declarations
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Dorothy Miller, 2006.
Processing Information
The collection was originally processed by Scott Taylor and Lisette Matano. It was substantially reprocessed in preparation for digitization by J. Zarrillo in 2026. Box and folders were rearranged as needed. Some duplicative materials were removed from the collection at this time.
Subject
- Arabian American Oil Company (Organization)
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- 2012-09
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2026-09: Collection reprocessed in preparation for digitization by J. Zarrillo.
Repository Details
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057
speccoll@georgetown.edu