James Monroe Taylor, 1909: Vassar College president, 1886-1914

Head and shoulders picture of James Monroe Taylor as a mature man with mustache. He is wearing a black tie, white shirt and dark suit.
Head and shoulders picture of James Monroe Taylor as a mature man with mustache. He is wearing a black tie, white shirt and dark suit.
Head and shoulders picture of James N. Schou wearing a black tie, white shirt and dark suit.
From page 1 of the memoir: "Fannie [Fanny] Shouse was from Kansas City, Mo. She entered Vassar College Sept. 1869, preparatory department, and left on account of her father's death in April, 1873, and the following October, 1873, she married. The following is a copy of a sketch about her college
Head and shoulders picture of John Howard Raymond as a mature man with beard. He is wearing glasses, black bow tie, white shirt and dark suit.
Head and shoulders picture of John Howard Raymond as a mature man with mustache and beard. He is wearing glasses, black bow tie, white shirt and dark suit.
1 letter, dated 16 Oct 1878, to Johnson (VC 1883) from her father Abijah Curtiss. Curtiss writes that he cannot bring Johnson home from Vassar College for vacation the following week, remonstrating that "life is not all pleasure" and that she has already visited Hyde Park without his permission. He
1 letter, dated 19 Mar 1882, from Jones (VC 1883) to her mother. Jones writes about the dedication of the organ in the Vassar College Chapel and an organ recital by Walter [Damrosch]. She also discusses the insensitivity of addressing sickness and death in a sermon after the death of Professor
This item consists of typed extracts of Dorothy Leonard Judd's 1917 diary. Judd briefly discusses home life in Grand Rapids, Michigan; viewing footage from soldiers in the first world war and the new Russian revolution; trips to New York City; and camp life in the Gulick summer camp in Maine.,From
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
3 letters from Lilian Kiliani to her grandmother and 2 letters regarding the forwarding of Kiliani's letters to the Vassar collection. Kiliani's April 1873 letter, written while she was abroad in Baden, Germany, discusses her desire to study at Vassar. Her February 1877 letter describes the
3 letters from Kirkland to her friend Jennie S. Liebman. Kirkland describes her experiences at Vassar College between transferring there in the fall of 1893 to her junior year in the fall of 1895. She mentions new friends, academics, nostalgia for the "Packer" school and the Dakota, professors
3 letters from Ladd to her aunt Lee and 1 letter from Ladd to her cousin Julie. In her June 1873 letter to Julie, Ladd discusses her sophomore arrival at Vassar, including details of rooms, entrance examinations, the play Cinderella in which multiple acquaintances performed, and a sermon by a
This volume begins with 56 pages of handwriting exercises. The narrative then begins with Christine Ladd's adolescent years during the Civil War. The diary is not simply a daily chronicle; rather, it is a serious journal of self-examination, expressing despondency over the death of her mother, hopes
In this diary, Christine Ladd-Franklin chronicles her time at Vassar and several years following her graduation in 1869. She escribes her experience as a Vassar student, the challenges of financing her education, and her early years of teaching before beginning her graduate work in mathematics.
1 letter from Ladd-Franklin to May Harry. Ladd-Franklin describes getting her teeth filled, writing an essay for Commencement Day, and an accident with the gas that almost caused an explosion.
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
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.