Founder's Day

Nine-pin game, set up by students in pirate costumes
1300 plates
Founder's Day has included a variety of activities since the first celebration on April 29th,1866, Matthew Vassar's birthday. The images in this series document visits to the founder's grave, step-singing and the Song Contest, the faculty-student baseball game, parades, and various performances. Attendees of the baseball game, the parades, and the performances were encouraged to dress in costume, according to either a predetermined theme or individual whim. With some frequency, these costumes and performances were based on racist or stereotypical representations of marginalized groups, including blackface, redface, and yellowface. Similarly, the faculty play or skit show which was given on the evening of Founder's Day, included racist and stereotypical costumes and performances.
Content Warning
The Vassar College Archives within the Digital Library include some images, texts, and material items that are racist, xenophobic, or otherwise harmful. The Vassar Libraries have provided descriptive text and additional notes whenever possible to alert Digital Library users to these items. The Engaged Pluralism Initiative Race and Racism in Historical Collections Project Group is working with the library on contextualizing and facilitating community conversations about these materials. For more information see: https://library.vassar.edu/rrhc
Nine-pin game, set up by students in pirate costumes
Class of 1926 performing at the song contest
Students with doughnuts and programs
Class of 1930 performing at the song contest
The students's team at the faculty-student baseball game
Song contest
A student riding in the bicycle contest
Masque of the Seasons dance for Founder's Day
Student in costume at the faculty-student baseball game
Student baseball team at the faculty-student baseball game
Class of 1923 performing in the song contest
Song contest
Students of the Class of 1924 in costume, most likely at a faculty-student baseball game
Students in costume at the faculty-student baseball game
Copy photograph of students in matching dresses parading with a banner
Class of 1922 performing on the steps of Student's Building during the song contest
A student riding in the bicycle contest
Henry Noble MacCracken and Marjorie Dodd MacCracken at the Founder's Day "County Fair" with students in the background wearing costumes, including one person in blackface
Class of 1925 marching toward the song contest
Student at bat in the faculty-student baseball game
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