A resource consisting primarily of words for reading
Susan Brownell Anthony was born in Adams, Massachusetts, on 15 February 1820, Her parents, Daniel Anthony and Lucy Read, raised her and her seven siblings as Quakers. After a series of financial setbacks and relocations, the Anthony family settled in Rochester, New York, where Susan B. Anthony
24 letters from Sylvester to her father, mother, and brother James concerning her experiences at Vassar from 1865-1866. Sylvester references the lectures of President Raymond and other faculty members, the sermons of visiting ministers, meeting Matthew Vassar, and Professor Knapp's resignation. She
7 letters from Tappan to her mother about her semester at Vassar in the spring of 1874. Tappan discusses visiting arrangements for vacations, fashion trends, and the partiality that Poughkeepsie shopkeepers showed to Vassar customers. She evaluates various preachers and describes several faculty
1 letter from Taylor to Sue, relationship unknown. She describes her frustration with Miss Lyman, who is immoveable when in opposition to students (unlike more malleable faculty like Dr. Raymond) and will not allow her to drop Latin and take German instead. Miss Lyman also prevents her from walking
VC 1904,8 letters, dated between September and December 1900, from Taylor (VC 1904) to her family. In the earlier letters, Taylor describes her journey by train from Chicago to Vassar College, her interactions with instructors such as Miss Ballantine and Miss Bartelmann, her off-campus boarding
VC 1904
1 letter from Teegarden to her cousin Mary A. Starr. She describes her experience staying at Vassar over the Christmas holiday and the daily activities of the students during the break. On Christmas, she writes about attending a service at Christ Church in the City and hosting a Christmas party for
13 letters from Thompson to her family about her experiences at Vassar from the fall of 1875 to the spring of 1876. Thompson describes her arrival, entrance examinations, the difficulty of having her first name registered in the catalogue, her freshman room, initial homesickness, and Christmas
VC Prep 1875-1876
4 letters from Thompson to her father about her experiences at Vassar from 1873 to 1876. Thompson reports social news and her performance on the entrance examinations, requests more money for school books, and repents accidental overspending on a dress to wear to an acquaintance's wedding.
From the title page: "Typescripts prepared by Edward R. Linner, Prof. Emeritus of Chemistry, in 1977/78"
Urvashi Vaid was born in New Dehli, India; moved to Potsdam, NY in 1966 at 6 years old; moved to Boston in 1979; and then moved to Provincetown, MA in the early 1990s. Fields of study at Vassar: political science, English. Current occupation: Director of the Engaging Tradition Project at Columbia
The Student Scrapbooks collection provides access to scrapbooks from Vassar students from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Students include Adelaide Claflin Mansfield, 1893-1897; Anne Southworth Wyman, 1878-1932; Caroline Barnes Ross, 1901-1906, Elizabeth French Babbott, 1910-1912
1 letter from Vincent to her aunt Anne. She lists her courses, praises the Vassar grounds and rowing, and describes the visits she has made in Poughkeepsie. Vincent also describes her impressions of a student from Japan. Vincent implores her relatives to visit her often, reporting that a classmate
11 letters from Warner to her mother. Includes details of the birthday celebration for Matthew Vassar in 1866, comparisons with Kalamazoo College and Mount Holyoke, and school events and lectures. She writes her opinion of faculty (particularly Professor and Mrs. Tenney, Professor Knapp, Professor
2 letters from Warner to her mother, 2 to her brother Will, 1 to unknown. She writes about her classes, boating, joining the floral society, and social news like weddings. In particular, her October 9th letter to her brother includes information about her gym costume and Poughkeepsie residents'
1 letter from Warner to her sister Helen Warner, 1 letter to Soror, 7 letters to her brother Will, 2 letters to her father, 60 letters to her mother, 1 letter to both parents, 11 letters to her sister. She writes about her academics (including astronomy, gymnastics, botany, and archery) and the
1 letter from Washburn to her friend Alvah from Ann Arbor, who is also away at college. Washburn describes the reaction among the Vassar students to the death of their Lady Principal, the strict visionary [Hannah Lyman]. She congratulates Alvah on her 22nd birthday. Washburn discusses popular
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.