Founder's Day

Students dressed as a pirates at the faculty-student baseball game
Students dressed as a pirates at the faculty-student baseball game
Song contest
Student at bat in the faculty-student baseball game
The Class of 1922's song leader at the song contest
Class of 1930 performing at the song contest
Class of 1922 at the song contest
President MacCracken giving the Founder's Day address on the steps of Students Building
Students in costume, two in stereotypical Native American dress, another in what might have been intended to represent Romani dress
Student in costume
President MacCracken dressed in a stereotypical Middle Eastern costume and a student at the festivities after the Founder's Day parade
Students performing as a minstrel band in blackface at the faculty-student baseball game
Students in costume at the faculty-student baseball game
Students in costume at the faculty-student baseball game
Student conductor at the song contest
Students at the faculty-student baseball game
Spectators at the faculty-student baseball game
Students in 1890s costumes at the faculty-student baseball game
Class of 1923 at the song contest
Students in costume
Nine-pin game, set up by students in costume
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.