Blodgett Hall

View of the euthenics building arch
This collection includes more than 3,500 glass plate negatives created by photographer Edmund Wolven. Most of the images are of Vassar College people, events, buildings and grounds, but there is a subset that relates to other local educational institutions and Poughkeepsie. Wolven, born in Poughkeepsie in 1876, worked for many schools and colleges in the area. He began taking photos for Vassar College in the late 1890s, and became the official college photographer between approximately 1900 and 1910. The latest photographs in this collection are from the 1940s.
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
View of the euthenics building arch
View of the euthenics building arch
Wooden bridge leading to path around Sunset Lake
Images of the Vassar buildings (interior and exterior) and the landscapes of campus and the surrounding area. Highlights include views of Vassar Lake before the Raymond Avenue elevation change in 1966, the southeast portion of campus before Sunset Lake was created, Raymond Avenue before the Faculty
Members of the Cambridge and Vassar debate teams on the steps of Josselyn Hall. Left to right: A.P. Marshall, Mary Virginia Heinlein (VC 1925), Ruth Driver (VC 1926), Richard Austin Butler, Winifred Comstock (VC 1925), and Gerald Sparrow
View from Sunset Hill of the tops of buildings. Cropped version of Box269_026
View from Sunset Hill of the tops of buildings as well as the power plant chimney
Formal portrait of Vassar Professor Caroline Ellen Furness
Formal portrait of Vassar Professor Caroline Ellen Furness
Formal portrait of Vassar Professor Caroline Ellen Furness
Caroline Furness, Astronomy Professor, in the observatory with Maria Mitchell's twelve inch Henry Fitz telescope. The telescope was later donated to the Smithsonian Institution
A crowd watching a crane lift the new building's cornerstone into place. President James Monroe Taylor is visible in the foreground
A crowd watching a crane lift the new building's cornerstone into place
A crowd watching a crane lifting the cornerstone for the new building into place
Dedication of the Chapel Gate on Raymond Avenue, a gift of the Class of 1882
Dedication of the Chapel Gate on Raymond Avenue, a gift of the Class of 1882
Procession to the dedication of the Chapel Gate on Raymond Avenue, a gift of the Class of 1882
Dedication of the Chapel Gate on Raymond Avenue, a gift of the Class of 1882
Procession to the dedication of the Chapel Gate on Raymond Avenue, a gift of the Class of 1882
Procession to the dedication of the Chapel Gate on Raymond Avenue, a gift of the Class of 1882
Here you will find digitized archival collections, oral histories, and more. We are continually expanding the collections and improving access. You may find additional digital resources that reside outside the digital library here, and a selection of Online Exhibitions here.
Collections Overview
The Archives & Special Collections Library is part of the Vassar College Libraries system. It holds the rare book, manuscript, and archival collections of the college. It collects, preserves, and makes available rare and unique collections, and also engages in teaching and outreach activities. This collection of finding aids describe items in both the Virginia B. Smith Memorial Manuscript Collection and the College Archives.
The Vassar College herbarium holds over 8,000 specimens of vascular plants, bryophytes, and algae. Holdings are primarily from northeastern North America, and include collections made by several notable 19th century botanists. To learn more about this project visit the website here.
Vassar College's institutional repository reflects the research and scholarly output of the Vassar College community. It provides access to senior theses, peer reviewed open access articles, and projects from a wide range of disciplines.