Vassar College Digital Library

Frantz, Edna (Bachman). Letters, 1912-1916

Content Warning
The Vassar College Archives within the Digital Library include some images, texts, and material items that are racist, xenophobic, or otherwise harmful. The Vassar Libraries have provided descriptive text and additional notes whenever possible to alert Digital Library users to these items. The Engaged Pluralism Initiative Race and Racism in Historical Collections Project Group is working with the library on contextualizing and facilitating community conversations about these materials. For more information see: https://library.vassar.edu/rrhc
Access Control
Abstract
11 letters, dated between Oct 18, 1912 and Feb 14, 1916, from Frantz (VC 1916) to her friend Rosemarie. Franz provides detailed descriptions of her four years at Vassar College. Frantz discusses her academic experiences, including exams and final papers at the end of each semester, lectures, visiting her English instructor (5 Nov 1912), and transferring to a more advanced Latin class (5 Nov 1912). She mentions music and theater at Vassar in every letter, describing hall plays, glee club, an operetta, concerts, and choir. Frantz portrays the performing arts as connecting Vassar to the outside world, such as in her description of watching a movie starring Mary Pickford, using a phonograph, participating in a joint concert given by Euterpe club of Pough and choir (17 Feb 1915), and meeting an opera singer and a ballerina. In addition to vividly describing the buildings and grounds of Vassar (18 Oct 1912), Frantz recounts taking an eight-mile walk near the college (7 Dec 1912), walking along the Hudson River (5 Oct 1913), visiting the historic home of Governor George Clinton, visiting New York City (17 Feb 1915), spending junior week at Colgate (2 Jun 1915), and visiting West Point in 1916. She refers to athletic activities such as hockey, soccer, the mock Yale-Harvard football game staged by Vassar students, (24 Nov 1912), basketball, and ice skating. Frantz discusses her social relationships with her classmates, noting social invitations, visiting, and the departure of many students from the class of 1914 who marry (Oct 5 1913). Vassar traditions described by Frantz include the parties organized by each class, costumed "stunt parties" and the Masquerade ball (Feb 14 16), class elections, Halloween pranks, the "Maid's" [Goodfellowship] Club, Founders' Week, Field Day, the Sophomore Tree Ceremonies Slabsides, dressing dolls for charity, Thanksgiving dinner, prom, the ice carnival (30 Jan 1916), Valentine's Day, and the class mascot (Feb 14 16).,VC 1916
References
Finding aid: http://specialcollections.vassar.edu/collections/archives/findingaids/miscellaneous/vc_student_materials.html
Details
Extent
1 item
Type
Language
Identifier
vassar:54088,IID
Rights
These materials are made available for research and educational purposes. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine the copyright status of materials in the Vassar College Digital Library.
English