Vassar College Main Building, ca. 1865

Southeast view of Main Building of Vassar College with lawn and trees.
Southeast view of Main Building of Vassar College with lawn and trees.
Southeast view of Main Building of Vassar College with lawn and trees.
Northeast view of Main Building of Vassar College with path, lawn and trees.
Center part of Main Building of Vassar College with evergreens on each side, horse-drawn sled and snow.
The Memorial Minutes collection consists of short biographical pieces from Vassar faculty members, read in their honor at faculty meetings from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection includes biographical information from many notable people in Vassar history, including George
Room with window, desk, cot, chairs, pictures, and accessories. Dr. Helen Northing Webster wearing a long dress is seated in front of the desk, her right arm propped on top of it.
Room with window, shelves, desk, cot, chairs, pictures, and accessories. Dr. Helen Northing Webster wearing a long dress is seated in front of the desk, her right arm propped on top of it.
Room with fireplace, glass-front bookcase, chair, bust, pictures, and accessories. Dr. Helen Northing Webster wearing a long dress is seated, her right arm propped on the chair.
Seventeen female students wearing long dresses, seated at desks arranged in tiers. Some students with hats, some with books.
Portrait of six students. They are wearing long dresses and are gathered around a small, covered table. Clockwise from the top left, Helen Storke, Mary Watson Whitney (seated, looking at book), Mary Reybold, Sarah Maria Glazier, Clara Eaton Glover, and Sarah Louise Blatchley
Five female students wearing long, dark dresses, seated in a room. Also shows a window, door, blackboard, telescope, tables, chairs and open books.
The Vassar Songs collection features volumes from 1881-1915, and a special seventy-fifth anniversary book from 1940.
The Student Diaries collection provides access to more than fifty diaries from Vassar students from the nineteenth century. The diaries concern life on campus, other students, classes, relationships with their professors, vacations, family news, and other subjects; some volumes have short entries
Unidentified group of eight young women, could be international students
Unidentified group of eight young women who could be international students
Group of 11 students, including Sieu Tzu Tsa and Helen Rex MacGowan, both Class of 1920
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
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.