Islamic architecture and window ornament captured the minds of MIT students as they traveled abroad even in the earliest decades of the Institute. For example, Joseph A. Meyer, Jr. (1856–1894), a graduate of the Department of Architecture, embarked on a MIT-sponsored trip in 1890 across Greece, Egypt, Sri Lanka, India, Bahrain, Iran, and Iraq, among other countries. At the end of his tour in the summer of 1894, Meyer accepted an offer from the University of Pennsylvania to join their expedition to the ancient Sumerian city of Nippur (modern-day Iraq) as an architectural draftsman. While on the expedition, Meyer fell ill and died in Baghdad in December of 1894. Yet before his untimely end, Meyer made copious notes in his journals regarding the architectural sites he encountered in the Near East. In addition to impressive drawings of exteriors featuring stucco windows, Meyer describes the construction and settings of stained glass windows and wooden screens (mashrabiyyāt) across the region.
Department of Distinctive Collections, MIT Libraries: VC-0003