Picture of John Schoonbeek and son Nicholas at Vassar College's LGBTQ Center, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Interview was recorded on May 6, 2013 and transcribed on May 24, 2013.
Field of study: Africana Studies; current occupation: artist, playwright, director, educator. This interview was conducted as part of Spring 2013 Women's Studies Class (WMST 219), "Queering the Archives."
Picture of Karen Roberson and Naimah Petigny taken during interview.
VC 1876, handwritten.,This item is a collection of writings by Keffer and her classmates. It features a lengthy poem about the arrival of the first Japanese students in 1872, which also appears in Ella C. Lapham's (VC 1876) scrapbook. The racist poem mocks the Japanese students' English language
Although Bertha Keffer's diary was printed with the date 1854, she wrote in it during the months of January-June 1871. Keffer generally describes her day-to-day life at Vassar, focusing heavily on her time in the College Chapel. She speaks briefly, and sporadically, about her father (John C
Photo of Kim Squillace in police uniform.
Picture of Kim Squillace with Gloria Steinem.
The Landauer Longfellow Collection consists of approximately 300 pieces of sheet music and some bound volumes (totaling more than 6500 pages) featuring the poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The items were published in the United States and Europe primarily throughout the nineteenth and early
This collection contains 105 letters: 15 addressed to her sister Harriet Jean MacCoy (VC 1903), 4 to her father, and 86 to her family. The letters cover the fall of her freshman year through the end of her junior year. She makes some mention of exams and academics, but most of the letters are
A collection of 85 letters to Mansfield's mother, father and sister Louise. There is great detail about daily life at the college, academics, lectures, sermons, eating "spreads" in dorm rooms with her classmates, clothing, room decorating, and celebration of events, such as Washington's birthday. Of
Matthew Vassar, founder of Vassar College, was born in the County of Norfolk, England, emigrated with his parents and other family members to Dutchess County, N.Y., in 1796. Vassar College was chartered in 1861 and opened its doors to students in 1865. It was not the first venture in higher
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.