Founder's Day

Faculty-student baseball game. President MacCracken is at bat
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
Faculty-student baseball game. President MacCracken is at bat
Class of 1926 performing at the song contest on the steps of Student's Buidling
Henry Noble MacCracken at bat at the faculty-student baseball game. Sarah H. McLean (VC 1930) is playing catcher
Students in costume with signs about the "Milly A. Wimpfheimer Farm," "Rowdy the Ricket" and Sally the "Scarletina Sister."
Class of 1924 at the song contest
Song contest
Students in costume, two in stereotypical Native American dress
Students at the faculty-student baseball game
Spectators at the Founder's Day contests
Class of 1924 marching to the song contest
Students dressed as pirates at the faculty-student baseball game
Faculty-student baseball game. Geology professor Thomas M. Hills is at bat
Students in costume for the Founder's Day parade, two dressed as ghosts
Students costumed as members of Queen Victoria's court
Students in costume, one in stereotypical Native American dress
Song contest
Students in minstrel costume and black face at the faculty-student baseball game
Students lined up for a bicycle contest
Class of 1925 marching to the song contest
Student wearing dark makeup and dressed as a pirate at the faculty-student baseball game
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