Founder's Day

Students in costume, one on a horse. Others are in what might have been intended to represent Native American dress
Students in costume, one on a horse. Others are in what might have been intended to represent Native American dress
Unidentified woman at the festivities after the Founder's Day parade
Students in costume for the Founder's Day parade
Students costumed as members of Queen Victoria's court
Students gathered on the steps of Students Building for the song contest
President MacCracken dressed in a stereotypical Middle Eastern costume and Dean C. Mildred Thompson at the festivities after the Founder's Day parade
Students in costume
Students in costume for the Founder's Day parade, two dressed as ghosts
President MacCracken giving the Founder's Day address on the steps of the President's House
Students in costume, two in stereotypical Native American dress
President James Monroe Taylor's grave at the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery, visited by a contingent from Vassar on Founder's Day
Song contest
Professor Lucy Maynard Salmon's grave, Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery
Students in costume, two in what might have been intended to represent Romani dress
Students in costume for the Founder's Day parade
Students in costume
Song contest
Copy photograph of students in matching dresses parading with a banner
Song contest
Song contest
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.